Mario and the Artifacts of Ages
by Joseph Stark
Summary: Upon encountering a book detailing the history of the Mushroom Kingdom before it was known as such, Mario and his allies are thrust into a world teeming with disorder caused by the reawakening of several unpredictable magical relics.
1. A Day of Celebration

**Disclaimer:**

**I possess no rights to characters in this fan fiction created by a particular company and as such all rights to Mario, Peach, etc. belong to their respective owner(s). However, I hold all rights to any and all (original) characters specifically created in this fan fiction by myself.**

**A/N:**

**Due to the seemingly incoherent nature of the Mario universe, this fanfiction contains its own interpretation of the history, setting, mythology, etc. encountered within this universe with certain changes that do not take place in any of the games and can thus not be considered truly canon (though whether Mario possesses canon universe is up for debate). Assume all of Mario's adventures have already taken place (as of 2012) despite the differences perceived within the Mushroom Kingdom's geography.**

**In layman's terms: since the Mushroom Kingdom's locations change on a whim throughout the games, I decided to created my own version corresponding to the needs of this story. In my defense: every Mario game pretty much does it.**

**Also, expect this to be the last author's note I provide for the rest of the story. Updates and supplementary information can be found on my profile, so I suggest checking it out if you're interested.**

**Enjoy!**

Part 1

Times to Remember

Chapter I

**A Day of Celebration**

_Oh Mario, where are you_?

From the balcony seat, the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom watched the world below her with unsettled eyes. The soft drone of conversation filled the large theater with a buzz of noise as each entrant waited for the play to begin.

Princess Peach Toadstool was in no such mood.

Her gloved hands pulled at her hair impatiently; that man was certainly taking his sweet time to arrive! She would have expected him to be one of the first guests to appear since the princess didn't doubt he knew Toad Town by heart. Could he have gotten lost? It didn't seem at all likely, but it was still a possibility.

Peach sighed. _Never leave Mario alone in an all-you-can-eat pasta parlor again_, she acknowledged.

For the third time today, Peach brought her gaze downward, looking for any signs of the plumber. The wooden seats were all filled with all the different inhabitants of the Mushroom Kingdom and beyond. Goombas, koopas, bumpties, even the mischievous shy guys lined the large theater, chatting eagerly amongst each other. Peach was heartened to see that today wasn't just a day of festivities for her kingdom's inhabitants, but also a day of tolerance and of unity. Where each species realized that there was nothing separating one race from another. Today, everyone was one.

The two sentries guarding the passageway leading to the balcony looked at each other in surprise. Then, one of them pulled the red curtain closing the exit open to allow someone's entrance

Peach smiled as she turned to see the new arrival. At the other side of the curtain was Mario. He looked like he'd seen better days, although his belly seemed to have grown despite having been only two hours since she'd seen him last. He held his customary hat with both hands, wringing it awkwardly as he looked at Peach with apologetic blue eyes.

There he was, the man that had changed Peach's world forever. The man for whom without Peach would be nothing more than a tool to be used by a power-hungry tyrant. He was the epitome of mundane; Mario was no knight in shining armor—quite the opposite in fact. With his greasy brown hair, untidy dress code and large stomach, he looked more like a servant than a hero, but a hero he was.

He was her champion. He was the Mushroom Kingdom's champion. And he was all they had.

"Mario!" Peach exclaimed, "I'm so glad you could make it."

Mario began apologizing profusely as soon as he walked towards her, his voice carrying that all-to-familiar strange accent that acted as a balm to her frayed nerves.

"There's no need to worry," Peach told him. "You do need to eat, after all."

Mario sighed in relief and sat down by her side.

Having regained her mood, Peach and Mario's voices joined the theater's others in a chorus of tales and jokes tossed about endlessly as the world waited for the day's entertainment to commence.

At this time, an old toad dressed in a black tuxedo with silver lace at the sides took to the stage and gave out a piercing whistle.

Little by little, the noise from the room was drawn to silence like water flowing through a drain. Once the toad had gotten everyone's attention, he shouted in a booming voice: "Attention, please! The play is about to begin!" And with that, he exited the center stage in the opposite direction he came.

Soon the lights around the theater began to dim one by one, until the room was completely covered in darkness. Excited murmurs rose from the front aisle of the theater as everyone else stood motionless. Both Mario and Peach settled themselves comfortably in their seats then to wait for the play's start.

With a click, the lights behind the center stage all lit up simultaneously, revealing a group of toads lined in a phalanx formation and armed with golden trumpets. The conductor raised his hands, and silence covered the world once more. Bringing them down sharply, the trumpeters took the cue and began playing. The world erupted with the beautiful melody caused by the toads' immense skills.

"Isn't this wonderful, Mario?" Peach whispered.

The mustached man gave her a nod as he edged his seat forward.

Mesmerized by the music, very few people noticed the crimson curtains slowly drawing open and the gradual departure of the trumpet band.

The background of the scene was a cloudy sky overlooking a castle-town on the horizon. At the right edge of the stage was the large balcony of a makeshift tower built from granite. A raven-haired woman stood at the edge of the balcony, her hands leaning on the rails as she looked down at the town below her.

"My heart be wrought with dismay, my faith in freedom is long gone, my kingdom lies there astray, while my help is surely done!"

The woman pressed a hand over her eyes, drying up the tears that fell openly from them. Alone she cried, seeing the futility of staying alive as she watched her home destroy itself.

"Curses upon those who mettle, blessings upon those who mind, A life is no longer settled by hope whence there's none to find."

From the skies, the sounds of flapping wings were heard in the distance. The shattered princess looked up then to see a white bird perched across the balcony's handle. It looked at her with concerned eyes before squawking.

"Hark, Princess, why so blue? What has that monster now done to you?"

The princess wiped the few remaining tears from her eyes as she regarded her companion.

"My time is finished, my kingdom lies broken. No words will make him listen to the pleas these lips have spoken."

The bird flapped his wings angrily, giving out angry chirrup as he did so. "'Tis wrong of him to do this! Yet you must not give into your plight. Tell him of his failures, for of your capture he has no right!"

The princess merely shook her head. "I cannot be so cruel, his intentions mean well. My heart is too weak to fool my lover's impenetrable veil."

The two continued arguing. From what Peach understood of the princess's condition, a strange monster had one day come to her kingdom and was met with scorn by all of the kingdom's inhabitants save for the princess. She was the only one to show the creature kindness, and as a result he fell madly in love with her. However, the princess felt no infatuation towards the creature, despite the generosity she showed him, so he became infuriated and flew the princess to the top of his tower, where no one would have her but him.

Despite her love for her kingdom, the princess didn't want to hurt her new friend, so she willingly complied with his actions in the hope that he would one day realize the extremity of his behavior and free her. During her long stay in the tower, she befriended a goonie crossing by one day, who acted as her messenger, obtaining information from her kingdom and learning of its imminent destruction. As the two friends discussed how best to remedy the situation, they formulated a plan to free the princess from her prison. The princess knew what she would have to do, much as she hated it. Yet for the betterment of her realm, it was paramount she act out her plan.

From the tower, a door creaked open and a strange raven entered the balcony. The goonie quickly flew away in a rustle of feathers lest it be discovered, and the princess was left alone with her warden.

The creature greeted the princess kindly, while she remained silent. Asking if something was the matter, he received a sharp scolding from the princess in response.

"…My life is my own," finished the princess, "and if thine love was true, then thy would know!"

The creature stiffened, looking at his love as if seeing her for the first time. Then, understanding the error of his ways, he apologized to the princess for everything he'd done and flew away, never to return.

The princess walked to the center of the balcony and gave a short monologue about how she hoped her friend would someday find a lover that loves him as much as he loved her. Then, the curtains began to lower slowly like a portcullis after dusk, leaving the crowd in stunned silence.

Mario noticed that he and the princess were the only two viewers left in the theater. Mario stayed a distance away from Peach, watching as she spoke with the playwright and the actors. Mario remembered them from his adventures with Luigi in the Beanbean Kingdom, though he was somewhat surprised to see the founder of Chuckola Cola Inc. go playwright.

"Oho!" He said in a loud voice, "How did you enjoy it, Princess?"

"It was marvelously done, Bubbles." She replied.

Bubbles did one of his customary spins. "I'm very glad you think so! Today seemed the perfect day to bring our talents here to the Mushroom Kingdom! 'The Princess and the Monster' has taken many of our bordering lands by storm, or so I'm told."

Giving no time for Peach to respond, Bubbles continued." And where is our second guest of honor?" He asked, looking around.

"Mario," Peach called, "would you mind coming here a moment?"

Mario complied and greeted Bubbles and the cast with a wave. "So tell us, Master Mario! How did you find our performance?" One of the actors asked him with eager eyes.

Mario replied in his incomprehensible yet somehow easily understood language.

"I don't know…" Peach drawled, "The final act was somewhat…unsettling."

Bubbles laughed raucously. "My dear Princess, it is perfectly natural for you to feel that way, but I assure you, tragedy is oftentimes the most efficient comedy."

"I'll try to keep that in mind." Peach replied, still somewhat incredulous to the very notion.

"Well, we should be going! We've many more performances to do before the month's end, and I'm sure you'll be extremely busy today as well, Princess."

"Indeed. Thank you very much for coming and for entertaining us. I'm sure the other viewers enjoyed the play just as much as we did." Peach replied every bit as formal as she would be when discussing terms with a fellow monarch.

"The pleasure is all ours! Seeing how gorgeous you are first-hand made the whole trip worth it!" Bubbles said, giving the pair a wink.

Mario and Peach paid their goodbyes to the playwright and his actors and left the theater. Outside, everyone was chatting endlessly about the play. Mario and Peach began walking south of the residence district and towards the castle at the center of Toad Town.

"He is right, though," Peach sighed. "We should return to the castle as soon as we can. It's almost midday, and I've yet to greet any of our guests."

Mario wondered what the princess was talking about.

"What? Don't tell me you've forgotten what today is already!" She exclaimed. "The large amounts of people in the towns, the festive decorations, the play…surely these things have made you somewhat suspicious, haven't they?"

Mario shook his head.

"Oh, Mario" She giggled. "Sometimes you're insufferable."

In his defense, celebrations seemed to occur out of nowhere these days…

They rounded a corner, finally exiting the passageway leading out of the district and into the market.

"Today is Tribute Day, it's a national holiday celebrated by the entire kingdom. We hold it near the very end of the year, ever year. The entire kingdom opens its doors and allows all who wish to enter in order to celebrate. Every town has its own celebration style, but Toad Town holds the largest. We then allow all who participated in the day's events who wishes to take part in further splendor inside the castle, where there will be a banquet held in the kingdom's honor.

Mario's mouth instantly watered at the thought of food.

"Still, it isn't all entertainment and festivities. Every town mayor meets up with me in the castle, and there we discuss what policies to enforce during the new year, such as public relations with other nations and things of that manner."

Mario sighed; glad he wouldn't be a part of that.

"Which is why we should get back as soon as possible. It's customary and good manners to greet the mayors and guests from faraway places, then I have to stay for the banquet, and then I have to talk politics with the other heads of the realm. It will certainly be a tiring day for me."

Mario agreed. All that did seem like a lot of work, though he wondered if the princess would be safe. Allowing anyone to meet her was all well and good, but she was an important figure in the kingdom—the most important, in fact, and Mario could think of many people who could use this opportunity in a malicious manner.

Still, he didn't doubt the princess would have guards and Toadsworth to protect her. Of course, they've never really done anything to prevent accidents from happening in the past.

Finally, Mario and Peach entered the castle courtyard. The area was filled to the brim with company of different shapes and sizes. White tables covered with pink drapery littered the healthy grass, filled with delicious-looking appetizers. The guests mingled this way and that, while toad guards armed with sharp spears watched their surroundings vigilantly for any signs of trouble.

"This heat is making my head throb." Peach declared. "I'll be going inside to speak with some of the guests, you can stay here and—"

The princess was stopped by the appearance of six toads, each dressed in formal attire and wearing gilded hats.

"Princess! We've finally found you!" A female voice called, presumably the band's leader.

"What is it now, Isadora?" The princess asked with an audible groan.

"You're late." She replied, completely ignoring the question. "Where have you been? The guests have been asking for you for an hour now."

"I was out enjoying myself," Peach put emphasis on the last two words. "With the citizens of Toad Town—_my_ people, and with Mario."

"Ah Mario," a masculine voice called out. "How do you do? The princess hasn't been too much of a burden, I hope?"

"I can take care of myself just fine, Earnest." Peach snapped.

"Oh yes, just fine." Isadora scoffed. "In fact, you can do it so well, we never need to clean up your mess whenever disaster strikes."

Peach gasped in outrage but said nothing.

Mario was beginning to feel uncomfortable.

"You are to come with us, Princess." The one called Earnest commanded.

A new voice brought everyone's eyes towards it. "How dare you command the princess, you hooligan!" Toadsworth was running from the entrance to the castle towards Mario and the rest of the group. He reached them tired and panting.

"Silence, you old fool!" Earnest replied. "We seek only the princess's safety, as should be your main concern." He added in a dark tone.

Toadsworth looked about ready to burst from rage, before Peach laid a firm hand on his shoulder.

"Enough, Toadsworth, I shall see what the Council wishes."

No more words were exchanged. Having gotten what the wanted, the Council beckoned the princess to follow them into the castle. Raising her chin as high as she could, she followed them in stride. The guests in the courtyard tried their best to disregard the argument that had just taken place, though they made no means of hiding their stares as they watched Peach enter the mouth of the castle and disappear within.

"Those n'er-do-wells!" Toadsworth said in between gasps. "How dare they place the princess in their treacherous schemes!"

Mario had no idea what was going on. He tried his best to ignore what had happened.

"Ah, Master Mario!" Toadsworth mentioned excitedly, "I didn't notice you there, my boy! How goes the good fight?"

Mario told Toadsworth of his adventures today with the princess.

"Yes… well, I suppose I should remind you of the surprise she has prepared for you. You haven't forgotten, have you?"

Mario slapped himself on the forehead. He really did need to keep a steadier grip on his promises.

"Not to worry, Master Mario! Simply explore the castle for a spell at your leisure. A guard will come to you once it's ready."

Mario nodded his thanks and proceeded to the snack table, where he began filling his platter with a number of delicacies. The small slices of mushroom dipped in honey sauce were his favorite, and watching plays always did make him hungry.

Mario continued eating his full for a while, greeting any passersby that noticed his presence. Many of his old pals from his prior adventures had shown up, though they seemed too busy enjoying themselves to talk much with him.

Mario wasn't surprised at all to see Bowser and his minions weren't invited, though he hoped this wouldn't cause problems later on.

While munching on a piece of mushroom, Mario wondered what it was those Council members wanted with the princess. As far as Mario recalled, the Council had been set up earlier this year, as a means of keeping the Mushroom Kingdom stable when the princess was captured or unable to rule. Cases such as those were extremely prevalent in the early portion of the year, leaving the kingdom without rule for quite some time.

Mario could understand why the princess would take such a direct route in making sure the kingdom was well-tended while she was gone, but things could have been simpler if she had chosen the council members instead of having her citizens choose them instead. It was all just as well. The Mushroom Kingdom wasn't particularly known for its military prowess—a fact Mario would never mention aloud, and needed strong leaders to compensate for its lack of strength.

The council members acted as reagents to the throne, taking command whenever the need arose, but always backing down once the kingdom was returned to stasis. Despite Mario's ignorance towards all matters political, he was still clever enough to deduce that the Council somehow still held a leash upon the princess.

He slowly wondered whether Peach herself was aware of that.

Mario noticed Toadsworth, still seated in the same place Mario had seem him last. He was likely still waiting for Peach's return, although Mario suspected he might not be seeing her for the rest of the day.

There. Mario had done it again. All this thinking was making him even hungrier.

"Master Mario!" A voice called out before he could grab his plate.

Mario saw the bright armor of a toad guardsman heading straight for him. From the way he held his spear and his youngish appearance, Mario suspected he was still new to the force. His cap was a regular white with red spots, and in his hands he held an envelope.

"Master Mario," he repeated, "I've received word the princess is waiting for you inside the castle. Please report to her as soon as you can."

Mario thanked the guard who then bowed and walked away. Mario wondered whom that envelope in his hand was for.

"Master Mario," Toadsworth said, bobbing his way closer to him. "The princess has requested you presence, you shouldn't keep her waiting. Come along now!"

Mario took the hint and walked through the castle's large door. The all-too-familiar tapestry and flooring met his gaze as he walked in. Mario sighed as he felt crisp, cool air run though his face. The princess was waiting for him at the center of the rug with the sun-shaped design in the middle of the main room.

"Ah, there you are." Peach greeted. "Are you ready for your surprise?"

Mario jumped in affirmation.

"Good, then let's go. It's in the second floor balcony."

That was certainly an odd place to hold a surprise. Mario wondered what it was. Walking along the castle, he noticed there was no one else roaming the halls other than Peach and himself. That did seem somewhat suspicious, but Mario simply shrugged it off and kept walking.

The second floor was as silent as the first. Mario was beginning to get a bad feeling about this.

"I can see you're brimming with excitement, huh? Peach added sarcastically. "Don't worry, we're almost there."

Entering the door towards the balcony, Mario gasped as he stepped outside.

He could feel his cheeks burn as red as his hat.

Beneath them was likely every person in the entire Mushroom Kingdom. The crowd looked like a melting pot of races and cultures—which was exactly what it was. Everyone stood still, waiting for the princess to speak.

"Citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom," Peach began saying. "today we gather together in a time of glorious celebration. Here we can forget the troubles of today and of the past. Now, we can revel in our freedom and enjoy ourselves."

"But today is much more important than that. We are gathered together here, not as a myriad of different cultures and peoples, but as a kingdom. In this, we are united, and nothing will ever change that. Seated next to each of you are not toads, bob-ombs or any other differentiating factor used to separate and divide us."

Each member looked to their sides, obviously aware that the people seated next to them were in fact toads, bob-ombs, or any manner of differentiating factor used to separate and divide them.

Peach shook her head. "No, those next to you are exactly as you are: members of the Mushroom Kingdom."

At this, the crowd exploded in a series of cheers. Peach raised her hands to quiet them down.

"I take great pride in this nation," Peach said. "I am heartened to know we are one of the most culturally diverse and prosperous kingdoms in the known world. I am delighted to say that this is, in part, due to each and every one of you."

The cheering commenced once again after each word.

"But," The Princess added, "You all know even we have our problems."

The crowd immediately dimmed into silence.

"Bowser and his army have attacked our precious home many times during the past year, and he has succeeded in capturing me numerous times, leaving the kingdom in a state of peril."

Peach closed her eyes and sank her head downward.

"For this, I am truly sorry. It is my fault this kingdom possesses no means of keeping brainless oafs like Bowser at bay. It is my fault we do not have a decent enough military to fend off incoming attacks from rival kingdoms and outlaws. It is my fault I must become so woefully submissive as to allow errors such as these to keep occurring. I am to blame for all of this, and I take it all willfully."

The entire world was silent for a long while. Mario couldn't remember how long it was before Peach spoke once more.

"However, one thing I said isn't entirely true. We do, in fact, have a protector; a means of combating whatever force tries to test this kingdom's stability. Mario, please step forward."

Mario did as was commanded of him, his face getting all the more flushed as he waved tentatively to the crowd.

"Mario is our one line of defense against all threats. Our hero. Our champion. He has not once failed us, always managing to rescue me and save the kingdom in a matter of weeks. Without Mario, I would not be here."

"We would not be here."

"And so, today, I wish to dedicate this Tribute Day to Mario, the Champion of the Mushroom Kingdom!"

The world erupted with the sounds of claps and cheers. Even the princess stood there, clapping and smiling at him. But despite the obvious joy he brought to the people of the Mushroom Kingdom, there were six members of the audience, all seated in the front, which neither clapped nor cheered.

Back in his quarters, Mario sat enjoying a plate of spaghetti sprinkled with Mushroom paste. The cook had done an amazing job in cooking the fresh pasta just right. The meal helped Mario relax and lounge after a long and arduous day.

The speech the princess had given really helped to bring a higher sense of togetherness for the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom. Despite the calm demeanor almost everyone showed during the day, Mario could tell there was still a lot of tension between the different species within the kingdom. A day of forced festivity wouldn't be enough to change that, but Peach's honest admissions were enough to show people that they weren't altogether too different from each other. Mario hoped the new year could commence in the same light. He wondered what the princess was doing right about now. Likely still speaking with the other leaders of the kingdom.

A soft knock at the door brought Mario out of his mulling. He stood from his chair and walked up to open it.

"I'm sorry if this is a bad time," a toad guard said, this one female and with blue spots in her cap. "But the Princess Peach has asked for you. She wants you to come to the courtyard whenever you can. Should I tell her you won't be coming?"

Mario shook his head and told the guard to tell Peach he would be right there.

"Alright. Make sure to have lots of fun while you're with her." She said with a crooked smirk before closing the door.

He had no idea what that guard meant by that.

Mario left the rest of his food unattended and stepped out of his room, closing the door as he left. From the windows of the second floor, Mario could see the sun was beginning to set.

As he walked towards the courtyard, he wondered what the princess wanted this time. Not that he was getting tired of her company, but she had been extremely eager to be around him as of late. They had never been as close to each other as they were during the past year. The Mushroom Kingdom had suffered through much, but it always grew stronger. Bowser was becoming more and more desperate after each failure at his hands—and with desperation came mistakes. The last capture of the year only took three days for everything to return to normal.

Of course, that had been four months ago.

Bowser's attacks had taken a steady decline after the half point of the year, though in the beginning they had been extremely brutal. Despite everything, the year had seen a record increase in kidnapping attempts, which was why the Council had been created, after all.

Mario was beginning to take an immediate disliking towards those council members. Since their inauguration, they had shown nothing but resistance to Peach's actions to increase public relations and promote cultural diversity in the kingdom. They seemed more interested in flaunting their xenophobic ideals than properly running the kingdom. Mario agreed more with Peach's philosophy in many things. She truly did seem like she knew what she was doing.

Two guards gave Mario a salute as he descended the stairs and entered the first floor. The main area still had a couple of guests enjoying the sunset, though from what Mario could see, there was no one outside the courtyard save for Peach. Most of the visitors had retired to their quarters, tired from the day's festivities, and none too eager to return to the mundane trails awaiting them tomorrow.

Mario entered the courtyard, meeting Peach's gaze as he walked forward to greet her.

"I'm terribly sorry for these constant interruptions, Mario, but there was something I wanted to discuss with you."

Mario wondered what it could possibly be.

"So, how did you find my speech? Was I too embarrassing?" She asked.

Mario told her what he thought.

"I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was the least I could do to our people after all the trouble I've caused them." She sighed. "I truly wish I was strong enough to keep Bowser at bay without you needing to help me every time, Mario. I try to do the best I can, but it never seems to be enough…"

Mario comforted her as best he could.

"You really think so?" She asked with bright eyes.

"Say Mario," Peach added, changing the subject, "how fares your brother Luigi? I haven't see him in all of today."

Mario told her about how his brother left on some errand a week or so ago and hadn't come back yet.

"And he doesn't write? That seems odd. Still, I'm sad he couldn't make it. We haven't seen each other in so long."

Mario asked how the meetings went.

"I shouldn't bore you with the details, otherwise I might fall asleep myself. But we did a lot this year, despite the Council's constant attempts to turn this kingdom into a place more backwards than the land of the cragnons, things went better than expected. Thank you for asking."

Mario nodded his gratitude.

"I'm somewhat worried about Bowser." Peach said. "It's been a little less than half a year since we've last heard from him, despite how vicious he was at the start. It makes me wonder why I started the Council in the first place."

"I would have expected him to show up today, but there were no signs of any treachery whatsoever. I can't tell if we should be worried or if we should revel at our good fortune."

Peach shook her head. "But that isn't the reason why I called you. You see, before the meeting began, some guests decided to bring me gifts. That usually happens every year, but this time I received something rather interesting. Take a look."

Mario saw that in her hands Peach was holding a black leather-bound book with strange markings in the cover. She set the book to the ground and waited for Mario's reaction.

"I received this specific piece from Toadsworth, who recovered it from someone…he doesn't know more than that, as odd as it sounds."

Mario's eyebrows rose quizzically.

"I really don't know what to tell you. Toadsworth mentioned only that the person who gave this book to him was wearing a blue mask and matching robes. For some reason, he doesn't remember anything more about the person."

Mario instantly voiced his concern, remembering many a time how when the princess took strange objects from strangers, the result usually led to disaster.

"You unease is noted, but believe me: if this book looked even remotely suspicious, Toadsworth would have burned it in the nearest fireplace and spread the ashes in the wind before even thinking of giving it to me. Knowing him, the lapse could simply be a result of his age, the poor man."

Mario understood the point, but was nevertheless suspicious.

"Besides, I feel like the book is calling to me…"

Mario slapped himself on the forehead again. This surely wasn't going to end well.

"I've only read a portion of it so far, but the parts I've read are certainly…interesting." Peach said.

Mario was dreading her next words all the more.

"This book seems to tell the story of the Mushroom Kingdom…before it was the Mushroom Kingdom."

Now Mario's alarms were going off.

"I don't know how the facts in this book escaped our records. I don't know if I even believe the things written in here. They could be as fallacious as any other spontaneously written work. But whatever the case may be, this story is not one our kingdom's citizens will be fond of hearing any time soon."

Mario asked the princess to recount what she learned.

"Well, according to this," the princess placed a gloved finger on the cover, "many ages ago, there were a people called the Sampioen—our ancestors. These proud people were fighting a constant war with the Koopas of Dark Land. The leader and king of the Koopas was a ruthless deformed member of their species named Hermos Khandavner Koopa, who possessed professional militaristic insight and was a logistical genius. I suppose it would be right to assume that Bowser is one of his ancestors. My, but how the mighty have fallen."

Mario chuckled softly at the jibe, still too nervous to promote any further signs of amusement.

"However, despite the extreme military prowess of the Koopas, the Sampioen held a similar strength. Somehow, miraculously, they were able to fend off the Koopa horde for quite some time, despite being severely outnumbered in all aspects. The Sampioen fought valiantly, but they were no match before the Koopas and their powerful siege machines and dark magic."

"It seemed the Sampioen were on the verge of extinction, but five of the most powerful sages in the Sampioen force created a series of powerful artifacts that could only be awakened through a means known only by the sages. One such artifact—the Gem of Creation, harnessed the power of the elemental stars floating in the newly created Star Haven."

"According to this book, the exact number of artifacts in existence is unknown. There could be anywhere from two to a thousand, or maybe more."

Mario gulped at that prospect.

"I wouldn't worry about that," Peach answered reassuringly, "I doubt anyone living today has the means to awaken any artifact should they find them."

Mario sighed softly to himself. This was hardly the first time he had heard a line like that.

"In any case, these artifacts were used to overwhelm the Koopa forces, but upon seeing the carnage and havoc their creations wrecked upon the world, the sages, weak and weary from building their creations, infused the remaining artifacts with their magical essences, giving the objects a simple form of sentient ability. These artifacts had but one purpose left: they were to scatter into different parts of the world and hide in secrecy as to not to be found until they were called upon to return to the hands of civilization."

"Upon obtaining information on the artifacts' disappearance, the Koopa King mobilized his armies into one final division and sent his forces out for one final attack in order to wipe out the remaining Sampioen once and for all. The final skirmish was fought on the road connecting the Sampioen lands with Dark Land. The Sampioen returned victorious, but heavily tattered. Fortunately, the Koopa King was forced to retreat to his faraway base to nurse his wounds, but his hatred for the forces who wrought his defeat still remained deep within his heart, even after he sired the one next in line for the throne and mysteriously disappeared from history soon after."

"The Sampioen, on the other hand, savored their victory, though their numbers were now very few. They too needed to regroup and reform their dying culture, at which point they chose to disband military practices altogether and instead spend their resources on building a decent and efficient form of government in which everyone could be happy."

Closing the book, Peach sighed from exhaustion. "And that's all I had the time to read."

Mario had no words that could explain his feelings.

"The implications for what is said in this book are immense, Mario. Yet I've still some unanswered questions, like the target whereabouts of the Koopa King told in this tale, or the reason for the Sampioen-Koopa war. Surely there's more to it than the Koopas wanting to conquer anything they considered weaker than them."

"In any case, you must not tell anyone of what you've learned here, Mario. I do not know what consequences this could bring to the kingdom should its people discover the apparent truth about their past. I must think this through after finishing the book. That is when I will make my decision."

Mario looked at the sky. The moon shone brilliantly, like a silver sentinel watching their every move.

"I'm terribly sorry for taking up so much of your time. Please, feel free to return to your quarters, Mario. I for one, plan to do just that… err, rest in my quarters, I meant." Peach added, somewhat flustered.

Mario returned to the castle, too drowsy to spend more time thinking about the day's occurrences, with a guard kindly leading him back to his room.

That night, Mario slept like a Clubba.


	2. Strange Occurrences

Chapter II

**Strange Occurrences**

The next morning, Mario awoke to the sound of screaming.

With a jolt, he jumped out of bed and quickly donned his blue overalls and red undershirt. Connecting the yellow buttons gave him some trouble, but after a few tries, he finally succeeded.

"M-M-MARIO!" A voice from outside yelled in pure terror. "YOU MUST COME QUICKLY!"

Snatching his hat from a nearby stand, Mario bolted out his quarters, not bothering to close the door. Outside, Mario was running so fast, he didn't see the source of all the screaming, and collided with him in a savage tumble.

"Oof!" they both grunted as they fell to the floor.

"Mario," Toad said with a distressed expression after standing up, "it's horrible! Something wrong is happening in the Toad Town sewers!"

Not bothering to ask what, Mario left the dazed Toad by himself and ran out of the castle as fast as he could.

Mario wondered what it was that had his old friend so worried. Maybe Bowser had finally decided to show up after his long absence. But if Bowser were the cause of all the shouting, then wouldn't Toad have mentioned him?

The young toad had looked as pale as a boo.

There was little activity in the castle within the early hours of the morning. Servants were running around dizzyingly, mopping floors and dusting vases, while the cooks stood outside their kitchens, accepting orders for the day's meals. Bulky koopas carried large packages of food and ornaments to the kitchens, but outside of the staff and the workers, the castle was completely silent.

Everyone looked on edge, as if their need for work was merely a method used to cover up their fright. Apparently everyone knew of the strange occurrence down in the sewers, whether willingly or not, given Toad's yelling.

Well, Mario was a plumber after all. He would be in his element.

Outside, the sun was only beginning to rise, covering the moist grass and soft fountains of the courtyard in a beautiful opalescent glow. Gardeners and shearers greeted Mario with the same level of forced normality the other workers in the castle had used.

The wood-and-iron drawbridge leading out of the castle—the only way in or out, unless interlopers waere fond of getting bitten by very hungry cheep cheep and big bass, was already risen when Mario walked out of the castle courtyard and into the heart of Toad Town. The reason was both plainly obvious to Mario and somewhat unnerving. On one hand, the castle had a head start in beginning its daily trials, but on the other it meant anyone could get inside and do something dangerous. Coupling that with the drowsy-eyed guards lining the entrance and the walls around the vicinity only ended in a recipe for disaster.

Mario then remembered what Peach had told him yesterday. It seemed almost impossible to believe the Mushroom Kingdom was once a highly militaristic nation, enough to rival that of the koopa force that bullied them so easily today. Mario understood the ideas behind good government, but knew that government couldn't help the fact that possessing a suitable defense was generally a more worthwhile cause for reform than setting up a rule that could be easily shattered by anyone who tried. Still, it wasn't his place to argue over such things. Leave that to the politicians.

In the town square quite a few people were out doing their early morning chores. Two toads sat perched on the mushroom-shaped roof of a house discussing something, while a female toad walking her pink chain chomp with a purple bowtie gave Mario a friendly wink. Hawkers began setting up their stands, selling honey-smoked sausages, badges, or other trinkets. It seemed the world was ready to forget the festive spirit of yesterday and get back to work. Though no one looked at all worried, meaning they likely didn't hear about the tidings in their sewers, or maybe they were just good at hiding their shock.

Mario had no time to greet everyone as he ran by, though he did receive a few concerned glances for his speedy getaway.

The sun-bleached gravel crunched beneath Mario's feet as he felt the morning breeze rush through his hair. He was beginning to tire from the stress since the past day, but he needed to keep moving now and keep his priorities straight.

At the eastern town gates, Mario was stopped by a group of toad guardsmen. They looked much older and in shape than the other guards Mario had spotted between his race out of the town. He suspected these two knew how to actually use the spears they held on to.

"Is something the matter, citizen?" One of the guards asked him with a puzzled expression.

Mario quickly told them why he was in such a hurry.

"What?" The other guard added, scratching his comical hat. "We didn't hear anything about that. Maybe we should come with you."

Mario gave them the obvious reason why they shouldn't.

"Oh yeah…" the first guard added absently. "Toad Town, I almost forgot about that. Well, I'm sure you can handle whatever it is that's going on. If anyone can, it's you, Mario. We wish you the best of luck."

The second guard pulled a lever, which opened the rusty gate leading out of the town. Mario thanked the two men and set out towards the pipe leading to the sewers.

It wasn't very long before Mario reached a fenced-in area at the side of a forest where the pipe was located. A large barbwire fence squared off the ground around the pipe. The earth inside was cleared of any grass and revealed the soft auburn of the dirt underneath. Mario opened the door leading towards the pipe with the key given to him a long time ago by the princess and stepped inside.

"Wait, please!" A voice called out before he closed the door.

Mario looked around the vicinity, trying to establish the location of the voice.

When he saw the princess running right towards him.

Mario waited for her to arrive before asking her what she was doing here.

Gasping for breath, Peach replied slowly. "I'm sorry for following you, but I must see what's going on."

Mario was about to have none of it and return her to the palace.

"Please, Mario." She pleaded. "I heard about what happened." She said, panting. "I want to see it for myself."

Mario immediately told her that she would be doing no such thing. There were likely dangerous things down in those sewers, and he didn't want to be responsible for anything bad that happened to the current ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom.

"I don't care how dangerous it is." She remarked, "I have a right to know what ails my people as much as you do. I must be strong for them, and show them that I can be a good ruler."

Mario sighed in desperation. He knew arguing with Peach was a hopeless endeavor.

He instead asked her if anyone knew she was missing from the castle.

Peach shook her head. "No. I sometimes sneak out on my own to walk outside the town for a bit."

Well, that definitely explained a lot.

Beckoning Peach forward, Mario hopped over to the green pipe that led downward into the sewers. It was pitch black inside, but Mario wasn't afraid. He had gone through similar pipes multiple times in his adventures; he had nothing to worry about.

Bracing himself, he jumped straight into the dark abyss.

The sensation was incomprehensible. It was as if he was instantly transported to a high alcove deep underground. Hitting the floor with a thud, he looked around the area with eyes narrowed down to slits, waiting for his eyes to adjust to the slow darkness of the sewers.

From behind him, Peach fell to the floor under the pipe. Mario helped her up.

"Well, I wasn't expecting this place to be so dark." She stated, her expression twisted into an uncomfortable scowl. "Did you bring a light?"

Mario looked at her and replied he didn't.

The alcove was nothing more than a lined platform connected by a large metal ladder leading further down and another green pipe to the right. The world below them seemed endless. Mario thought the darkness went on forever.

"I knew I should have dressed for the occasion." Peach pouted. "Now everyone will wonder why my dress is covered in slime when I return."

Mario rolled his eyes, happy the princess couldn't see the gesture. There were plenty more important things to worry about in their current predicament than dirty clothes.

He walked towards the pipe traveling from the alcove to the sewer bottom, but noticed it was closed over by a cork with a hole in the center.

Mario asked Peach how they would get down.

"Well," she mused aloud, "we unfortunately can't go down this pipe. It's locked, and can only be opened by the staff workers. I'm afraid I don't possess the key."

He wasn't surprised. He was sure those very same workers suspected the princess to one day travel to the sewers, and so placed a lock as a precaution to keep her and other unwanted intruders out.

And in, for that matter.

"But look." She called Mario over, "They sees to have left a ladder here for you, Mario, meaning we can easily climb downward to the bottom."

Mario didn't know how long that would take them.

He volunteered to go first, both as a safety measure and to tell the princess when it was okay to descend.

The princess took it upon herself to ignore Mario's commands, and followed right after him. Mario sighed as he descended, but knew there was nothing he could do but keep going.

The lamps connected to every end of the wall began to decrease in intensity the further Mario and Peach descended the long ladder. Mario could feel the soft and slippery coating of smile drench his gloves. He hoped the princess was taking things slow. If she slipped, there was likely little Mario could do to help her but hope for the best.

Further down they went, the sound of dripping water their only companion in the coming darkness. Mario wondered how much more he would have to endure before finally reaching the bottom.

Then, a question suddenly sprang up in Mario's head.

He passed it over to Peach immediately.

"Oh, no. I'm afraid I haven't had the time to read further. I left the book with Toadsworth before leaving."

Mario was beginning to see a pinkish landform further down. He suspected that was the floor. They had finally made it.

Stretching his cramped back, Mario waited for Peach to finish her descent.

"We made it in one piece." Peach declared. "Let's go."

The two continued walking through the brash sewers, the rhythm of leaking water getting louder the further in they went.

"I'm afraid we haven't had much time to explore these sewers. If that book is to be believed, then I'm sure this was an invention of our ancestors. They were likely quite skilled in such matters." Peach explained as they walked.

Mario agreed. Continuing onward, he began to hear the sound of muffled talking. Going deeper, he recognized the voices as two hammer brothers talking to each other. They noticed his presence and beamed.

"I'm glad you could make it, Mario" the first hammer bro. wearing a blue-shelled helmet said. "We sent out brother Brad over at least two hours ago. We feared the worst."

It was then when they noticed the princess.

"Princess?" The second one exclaimed. "What are you doing down here? You know you shouldn't be here! It's dangerous!"

Peach shook her head stubbornly. "Don't worry about me, Wedge, It was my request to Mario to allow me to accompany him. I've nothing to worry about with him around."

The first hammer bro. still looked incredulous. "Princess, it's nothing personal," he said in a deep voice, "but we think you should head back. Please, allow us to escort you back to the surface—"

"That won't be necessary, Chuck, but thank you for the sentiment." Peach interrupted.

The hammer bro. called Wedge went up to Mario and whispered in his ear. "How do you put up with _that_?" he joked.

"Fine, Princess," Chuck sighed, "it seems there's nothing we can do to change your mind. Follow us and we'll lead the way."

The four of them made their way further into the sewers. Mario was surprised to see a group of hammer bros. working so close to Toad Town. The toad people showed an immediate distaste for anything that looked even remotely koopa in appearance—and they weren't secretive about it either. Having suffered through countless of Bowser's attacks, the toads couldn't tell a good koopa from the bad. Mario was heartened to see the princess didn't allow her mistrust to rule over her so. She no doubt acquired much resistance in putting two of Bowser's ex-minions to work, but she stayed by her choice.

It would be a lie to say that all species other than the toads looked at the princess in a favorable light, but these two hammer bros. seemed to have discovered that the princess truly did want her kingdom to be equal for all of its inhabitants. They looked at her with a deep show of respect and only worried for her safety in their insolence. Peach, as she did many things, took it in stride.

Mario allowed his thoughts to wander as they walked. Instantly, he realized he hadn't seen a sign of any other hammer brother called Brad or otherwise. Opening his mouth, he made to speak.

The Princess was quicker. "Chuck, has Brad not returned?"

Both koopas stopped, turning to face the pair. "No, Princess," he replied, "we sent him over to round up Mario, like we said."

Mario shook his head, giving his own thoughts voice.

"Huh," Wedge said as he rubbed his beak with a hand. "sure is like him to dawdle. Probably off pickin' flowers or somethin'. Figure he'll show his sorry butt back here in no time flat."

Mario and Peach shared glances while Chuck sighed at his brother, quickly taking point and causing the group to hasten their pace to keep up.

The four of them eventually stopped before a grated door containing a sign that read: 'DANGER: DO NOT PROCEED PAST THIS POINT' in bold red letters. Mario didn't understand the warring, considering the workers here did a good job at keeping unwanted intruders at bay, but Mario simply shrugged and moved on.

"Right past here's where things get crazu." Wedge said with a smirk.

"What exactly is going on?" Peach asked him.

He shrugged. "We really ain't sure. This morning while we was cleaning out the place, we noticed a strange door appear out of nowhere near here. You know about Brad, and we stayed here to stand guard."

"And was this door here yesterday?"

Both brothers shook their heads. "We have reason to believe it wasn't, Princess." Chuck answered.

"How strange…" she mumbled.

Mario asked the brothers what the door looked like.

"It was red," Chuck said, "with spiraled etchings on the front. We couldn't tell the material, considering neither of us wanted to get close enough to check."

"That ain't the half of it though," Wedge added. "The door's literally hangin' closed with no walls supportin' it. We don't know what that means, or how that's even possible."

Mario wondered if this was some practical joke.

Unfortunately, both hammer brothers looked completely serious.

With a grunt, Wedge smashed a huge red switch with a large hammer, sending the portcullis rising slowly upwards.

"Thank you boys," Peach told them, "Mario and I can take it from here."

"You sure, Princess?" Chuck asked. "We don't mind going in with you." Wedge nodded his head in agreement.

"No, that's quite all right. You two should stay here and guard this place until we return. We shouldn't be long."

Chuck grunted. "Alright then, we'll wait for your return. Just holler if you need anything, and we'll come running. The strange door should be straight ahead. Stay safe, the both of you."

Mario and Peach thanked the brothers for their generosity and followed the dark passageway deeper into the sewers.

"We should be careful," Peach warned. "I've heard reports of strange noises coming from deep within these sewers. Who knows what outlandish creatures might live this far beneath civilization?"

Mario agreed, but felt a tad nervous. It had been a while since he last battled anything besides Luigi's cooking, after all.

Their footsteps echoed on the concrete, while the sound of rushing water kept them alert. Mario and Peach continued their trek carefully, making sure to watch every step they took.

"This just seems so odd…" Peach said. "Why would something just magically appear here, of all places?"

Mario shrugged, having no answer for her.

As they continued walking, Mario began to notice a resonating crimson glow coming from the direction they were going. He guessed they were almost there. Behind them were only shadows.

Then, they saw it. Just as the brothers Chuck and Wedge had mentioned, the door was an odd red, absorbing all other color in the room as it glowed brilliantly. On the front end, Mario recognized the strange markings the two brothers spoke of. The door looked rather familiar, as if Mario had been through it once before.

"This is it, it seems." Peach said with a touch of concern. "It really is floating in mid-air."

Neither wanted to make the first move towards the strange object. Finally, after gathering up his courage, Mario stepped forward with Peach following suit. They both stood directly in front of the door.

Mario could feel the power stored within that strange object seeping outward like rolling mists. Almost instinctively, he raised his right hand and clutched the door's pink knob. It felt completely cold to the touch.

Pulling on the knob was useless, the door wouldn't open by force, it seemed.

Then Mario did something both completely reckless and entirely stupid.

Mario knocked on the door.

At first, nothing happened. But slowly afterwards, Mario was beginning to feel a slight rumble beneath his feet. The princess looked to have felt it as well.

Then, the door opened wide, leading towards a world of clear light.

Before Mario had even a chance to breathe, something from within the door pulled at him strongly, forcing him inside the door's strange dimension.

Then, he fell straight in, with Peach gasping in shock.

"Mariooooooo!" She cried, before jumping straight in after him.

They tumbled and turned in a spiral of nothing but white.

In an instant, a rip in the fabric of space opened inside a fortress storeroom. From within that rift came through Mario and Peach, who fell to the ground as gravity began to take its hold on the duo. The rift closed with the sound of tearing leather, and the couple was left in silence once more.

Ow…" Peach said, rubbing her back. "What just happened?"

Mario grunted in reply, feeling just as confused as her.

"That strange door." Peach remembered, "We somehow got thrown through it."

Mario agreed with that idea. He remembered the strange sensation he felt once the door opened, a sensation that seemed to be pulling him inside.

"That door, it felt so familiar." Peach added.

Mario understood there was little time to waste given the circumstances before them. They had no idea what had happened when they were sucked into the door, and thinking about it wasn't going to help him or Peach learn about their current predicament any sooner.

They were still alive. That meant they had more important things to worry about.

"Where are we?" Peach asked Mario.

He shrugged.

"Judging from the looks of things, we seem to have been transported to a storeroom of some sort. Do you think we're in another dimension?"

Mario didn't want to think about that.

"I don't know about you, but based on these crude designs and strange architecture, I've I hunch I know where we are, though I'm not liking the idea one bit."

Mario looked around the room to see what the princess was talking about.

The small quarters were poorly lit, with a torch hanging from a rusty golden chandelier in the ceiling acting as their only source of light. The walls of the room felt like stone and were the color of ash. As Peach had figured out, dozens of crates, chests, and barrels littered the room haphazardly, though all but one chest was locked. The only door leading out of the room was slightly ajar.

"Maybe we should bring back a souvenir." Peach whispered. Opening the unlocked chest, she removed a mushroom from it and placed it in her pocket.

"Well, at least we know we're somewhere near the Mushroom Kingdom." She added joyously.

Walking outside the room as silently as possible, Mario checked for any signs of life. After finding none, he motioned for Peach to come out.

They were in a large hallway leading off towards many different directions. The walls were lined with brightly lit torches held on what looked to be koopa skulls. They shone intensely, causing Mario and Peach to cover their eyes from the dazzling light.

"Which way should we go?" Peach asked.

Mario instantly decided on a route and went towards one end of the hallway. At its end, they uncovered an unlocked door leading towards what looked to be a conference room with a large exclamation pressure switch to one side. The room only had one other door, but this one looked to be locked.

Mario recognized the switch from many of his prior adventures. Peach noticed it too.

"Look Mario! I wonder what that switch is for."

The two remained silent for a while.

"Well?" Peach asked. "Aren't you going to... you know, jump on it?"

Mario awkwardly replied that he forgot his jumping shoes at home.

Peach smiled. "I was waiting for you to say that." From somewhere, she withdrew a pair of Mario's jumping shoes. "See? Now aren't you glad I came along?"

Peach passed the boots over to Mario.

Mario put on the boots with a gracious expression, feeling much more like himself.

"You…do remember how to jump though, right?" Peach asked.

Mario showed her the biggest jump he could muster, aiming himself to land straight on the button. The force behind the jump pushed the switch down until they heard a clicking noise from somewhere in their vicinity.

"That switch must've been for the locked door over there." Peach stated. "Come on, the room must hold something important."

Mario and Peach entered the door as quietly as they could. Inside the door was a large open space. The area was rectangular in shape, with a large bed of lava sitting to the left of the room. The walls were seemingly immune to the stuff, though that didn't stop Peach from wiping her brow after some sweat had collected on it.

To the other side of the lava, there were a series of cages, each with the door open. There was no light in them save for the artificial glow granted by the lava.

"Do you think we somehow opened these cells ourselves?" Peach whispered.

Suddenly, they heard footsteps from within one of the cells. Mario stiffened. His mind went blank. They would likely be discovered and caught if he didn't think of something fast.

"Aaaaahhhh!" The voice yawned. "Free, free at last!"

The voice was strange and squeaky, almost as if it came from a child. Mario was beginning to see the round silhouette of the source coming out from the large cell.

"You know, whoever you are, you're all right." The voice said. "I thought I would never get out of this dirt hole. I don't know what that moron was going on about when he put me here, but he sure had it in him to never set me free. It's a good thing you showed up, huh?"

The light from the lava was beginning to reveal the appearance of the small creature. Mario saw it to be a baby koopa still inside part of its shell. Mario though he recognized the toddler, but couldn't put his finger as to when they had previously met.

The small koopa looked at Mario with suspicious eyes. "Now wait just a minute! There's something about you that calls to me."

Mario looked at the Princess, only to find that she was looking straight back at him. They both shrugged.

"You look veeeery familiar, mister! What's your name?"

The koopa was inspecting Mario, though he reached no higher than his legs.

Mario tried explaining to the child that he had to have him mistaken with someone else.

"Nuh-uh," the young koopa said, "I know you from somewhere…"

The koopa remained still, lost in thought.

"Aha!" He exclaimed. "I remember who you are! You're Mario! That dastardly plumber that was always ruining my day!"

"Shhhh!" Peach told him. "Stop shouting, or they'll discover us all!"

"And who're you?" He asked her, "Some sort of ballerina, or something? What's with that dress, anyway? You look like my mother did twenty years ago!"

Peach placed her hands on her hips angrily. "Now that's about all I can stand—"

"Quiet, lady!" The koopa commanded. "This here's between me and Mario, got that?"

"Now then, where were we? Oh yeah! Mario, you big slob! You made my life miserable! You ruined me! I became the laughing stock of my gang! I spent an entire month drinking nothing but milk! Do you know what that did to my complexion?"

Mario told the youngster that he had no idea who he was.

"What did you say?" he stammered. "You forgot who I am?" The koopa looked dumbfounded. "Well I'll tell ya! I'm Jr. Troopa! The biggest, meanest, baddest koopa you'll ever meet! And since fate has so kindly brought us together again, I'm here to finally collect my due!"

Jr. Troopa began jumping around in circles around Mario. "Prepare yourself to feel more pain than ever before in your entire life! By the time I'm done with you, you'll be begging me to stop! En garde!"

Mario, feeling somewhat rusty after not having had the chance to practice his skills in the kingdom's time of peace began to worry. Still, there was little choice he had. He accepted the small koopa's challenge.

"Mario," Peach told him, "make sure you give this brat a good spanking for me!"

Mario was more than happy to oblige, taking his chances to give his opponent a stomping. Mario was surprised to see the koopa actually staggering from pain.

"Oh yeah? Well, how about this?!"

The small koopa began a mad dash towards Mario, giving him little time to dodge. Mario tried jumping away, but the koopa was quicker, anticipating his move and hitting Mario straight in the gut with his hard shell.

Mario was hurt, but still standing.

Instantly, he attempted a counterattack, sending himself launching once again towards his adversary, and giving him a solid whack with the force of his jump. Too slow to dodge, the koopa took the full brunt of the attack, but in reading Mario's next reaction, he stepped backwards and launched himself straight into the air, hitting Mario directly on the head with his body. Mario began feeling dizzy and ill fit to continue.

"What's the matter, Mario? Lost all your steam already?" The youngster taunted.

Taking his advantage to the fullest, Jr. Troopa began storing in energy for his next assault. Mario, still dazed from the mischievous infant's prior attack, was unable to stop the koopa from unleashing his withheld strength. Mario took a savage blow, sending his sprawling to the ground. He met the hard floor with a grunt. Feebly, he tried standing up, but found it to be a futile endeavor.

"Ha!" Jr. Troopa goaded, "and here I was expecting more from the man who so easily defeated me once before! Ah well, it was nice knowing ya!"

"Mario!" Peach gasped.

This couldn't be happening. There had to be something Peach could do to help her friend, but what? She was next to useless in a fight, and the most she could do was buy Mario some time to recover anyway.

Then, she remembered the item she retrieved from the storeroom. She quickly withdrew the Mushroom and stepped next to Mario. Holding his mouth open, she placed the Mushroom inside. Mario closed his mouth instinctively and began chewing.

Instantly he arose, as if from the dead. Feeling fully recovered, Mario stared at the koopa with newfound strength. That had been exactly what he needed.

Jr. Troopa looked to be charging another attack. Mario immediately set himself at full speed, and jumped, somersaulting along the way to add to his momentum. Jr. Troopa collapsed with a savage thud, and this time he looked the one to be unfit to continue.

"I'll…I'll get you yet, Mario!" He panted, looking as if he had seen better days.

Mario took his chance. Delivering one final bounce, he knocked the koopa to the ground. Jr. Troopa remained still and unconscious.

"You did it, Mario!" Peach screamed joyously as she embraced him in a tight hug. Mario felt his cheeks redden.

Both Mario and Peach gasped when they looked to their exit.

Two koopa troopas stood watching them with wide eyes. No one in the room was making a move.

"This…isn't what it looks like." The princess tried explaining.

Both koopas stared at each other for a spell before darting out of the room in a flurry.

"ALERT!" They yelled, "MARIO HAS INVADED THE CASTLE! MARIO HAS INVADED THE CASTLE! THIS IS NOT A DRILL!"

Their loud echoes ran steadily down the halls until they eventually disappeared into a stark muffle.

"Oh no!" Peach said. "They've found us! We were so caught-up with Jr. Troopa we forgot we weren't supposed to make any noise in the first place."

Mario nodded his agreement.

"Mario," Peach turned around, staring at him, "I think my worst nightmare has come true. That hunch I had earlier, it was right."

"What should we do?"

Before Mario could answer, a loud noise began resonating from the walls. The drone sounded like alarms.

"We have to get out of here!" Peach continued, answering her own question.

The two began running out of the dungeon, leaving Jr. Troopa behind as they went. They crossed the conference room without so much as a sign of interference, and then began running straight until they reached the fork in the long hallway. Mario could hear the sound of footsteps breaking through the din of the alarm at ever corner.

"Which way should we go?" Peach sputtered, looking in every direction.

The sounds were beginning to increase in intensity. No matter which way they went, it seemed they would meet a regiment of the troop slowly drawing their way.

"We're trapped."

Mario and Peach remained perfectly still, awaiting the impending army to close the distance between them. The sound of marching only became louder with each second, like a giant's footsteps. Mario could see the cluttered armies of koopas and other species from every direction.

Then, they were upon them.

"Well, well, well…" A distinguished koopa said. "Looks like we have a small rat infestation that needs to be taken care of."

Mario could have done many things then. He could have tried to reason with the man he supposed was the commander of the force stationed before them. He could have fought, and died a valiant hero's death. He could have thought up of a means of escaping, low as the chance of success might be. But instead, he did none of these things.

He remained completely silent.

"It looks like you two are late for your meeting with the king." The commander added. "Follow me. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to see you dropping by on such short notice."

Mario and Peach did as they were told. The group of koopas in the southern fork parted away, leaving a road in which the three could pass. From behind them, Mario noticed there were still quite a number of troops following them to wherever they were heading, meaning any chance of escaping was still fruitless.

Along the way, Mario received a plentiful number of glares from the koopa force. A few pebbles were pelted at him, though he had little room to dodge the assault. Mario could only take the brunt of the attacks and hope the koopas were decent enough to keep the Princess unharmed.

Considering the person they were going to visit, Mario didn't doubt that would be the case.

The group continued their slow march to Bowser's keep, the rhythmic sounds of their boots an endless reminder of what was to come.


	3. An Uneasy Alliance

Chapter III

**An Uneasy Alliance**

Within Bowser's throne room, the tallow candles sitting on the walls burned brilliantly. There were twelve in all, each placed on either end of stone holders, suspended by a large piece of ebony material that branched out of the walls into a multitude of different directions. The design looked like a leafless tree made from fire.

Their light drenched the room in a bright aura. Bowser's throne room was always the most lit room in the entire castle. Shaped through magical fire, the tallow would never burn out, leaving the small area constantly lit. The fires were even powerful enough to give off some degree of warmth.

On a normal day, Bowser would take one of his few pleasures from that deep warmth. It always did seem to help him relax.

But today, Bowser felt only a stark chill in his heart.

Bowser's throne was the epitome of beauty. Carved from the finest maple and dreadoak trees found throughout his realm, it was an imposing sight to behold. The throne was over ten places high, making it as tall as a chain chomp with the chain stiffened was wide in length. It was large and heavy enough to support Bowser's massive girth at least twice over. Having been built with two of the most potent trees in his kingdom, the throne was seen as much as a symbol towards the koopa throne as he was. Gray and foreboding, it was the first thing any visitor noticed when coming to the room. It was built specifically to give Bowser the edge when addressing his henchmen.

Though the throne had been in use for generations of the koopa ruling family, its design always changed with the tastes of the newest leader.

Today, Bowser was perched on the throne, his bulky wrists slung lazily along the armrests. He saw little point in doing much else.

His half-closed eyes looked to the rest of the room without much interest. There was little space left to hold any more personal object Bowser might have cared for, leaving the room rather drab in appearance, not that Bowser really cared for such things. A bookshelf filled with large tomes dealing with matters about his family history and war tactics sat collecting dust on one end of the room. Kamek had always insisted Bowser become familiar with his family's past, but Bowser never bothered to listen.

Now, he couldn't be bothered to do anything but moan.

He couldn't quite explain it. He had never felt this futile before. Ever since he was a child, he always saw Mario as his rival. Oh, yes, as his age grew, so did his ambitions, but no matter what he tried, Mario was always there to stop him, willing to risk everything for his cause.

Part of the reason why Bowser still even bothered invading the Mushroom Kingdom was to see what his nemesis did to stop him, almost like a perpetual game between the two of them. Every time Bowser thought up of his latest scheme, Mario always appeared with something more efficient. Whether it was turning all the citizens of the Mushroom Kingdom into inanimate objects, sending his children to shift the rulers of the Mushroom World into animals, or invading Star Haven and capturing the Star Rod, Mario always came in to save the day.

Mario was always one step ahead of him.

And yet, it was Bowser who carried the massive army. It was Bowser who was known for his tenacious ruthlessness and vicarious appetite for destruction. It was Bowser who should have been in total control.

But he wasn't.

Bowser sighed. He felt like continuing this wild goose chase was pointless despite a protracted unease from within. A part of him told him to stop whining. He wanted to show that Mario what for. He wanted to continue his plans of forcing the princess of the Mushroom Kingdom to love him. He wanted to rule the universe.

But he couldn't.

While parts of his being were still lingering on to those ideals, other parts were dying.

Bowser felt as if he was losing pieces of himself each passing day.

He would never succeed in any of his plans, not while Mario was around to stop them. The Mushroom Kingdom had the worst military Bowser had ever encountered. Disorganized and loyal to a fault, they were like sheep being led by a sheep.

But Mario was the shy guy lion.

The Mushroom Kingdom had no need for a competent army with Mario around. He was a one-man-army.

And then there was Peach… Little by little, Bowser was beginning to understand what made her work. Mario, once again, was the cause of all Bowser's problems in this matter as well. It was obvious to him how much the two cared for each other. Why would Peach ever feel the need to waste her feelings on him? All he did was seem to cause her trouble, and no matter how many times he had treated her nicely, she always looked at him with scorn. She would never love him. Oh, he could force her to, but the feelings would never be genuine. Bowser would only be living a hollow life with a phantom that only cared for him by force. And if Bowser had learned anything through his past adventures with Mario, it was that love was a very powerful thing. Powerful enough to save the world, even.

Or powerful enough to destroy it.

Was there a reason why he should care? Something was terribly wrong here. He was becoming easy prey.

But there were more important things to worry about now.

Kamek and Kammy, his two most trusted advisors, had warned him of a secret mutiny plot springing up not too long ago.

Bowser felt angry with himself for letting this get out of hand. He needed to quell the source of the rebellion, and do it with reckless abandon, as to prevent anyone else from questioning his might in the future.

But maybe resigning from the throne wouldn't be such a bad idea after all.

He had no fear of assassination attempts. He was the most powerful and well-built koopa around. But if more of his subjects became interested in this silly desire for freedom…

He understood that part of this rebellion came from his sudden lack of interest towards anything of stately matters.

His reputation had been tarnished.

He could feel it in their eyes when they looked at him. Eyes filled with contempt and jealousy. They saw how soft he'd gotten in the past months, and they would abuse whatever chance they had at usurping his rule.

Bowser needed to keep his image intact. That was his most important goal right now.

_The next fool who comes in here is getting a fireball to the face_! His mind grumbled.

The crimson metal doors to his throne room shifted open with a whirl of air. A distressed koopatrol entered the room, his heavy armor clanking nosily as he gave his king a salute.

"Your Ruthlessness!" He sputtered. "There have been reports of intruders in the castle! What should we—"

"Silence, you fool!" Bowser yelled, his intense snarl sending waves of terror through his minion. The koopatrol cowered in fear. "Have I not told you simpletons to not interrupt me while I'm thinking?"

"Y-yes, Your Evilness," the frightened koopatrol continued, "But we have reason to believe—"

"I wouldn't care if the intruder was the ghost of my mother!" Bowser growled. "You have until the count of five to get out of here, before I turn you into the cook's next lunchmeat surprise! One, two..."

The koopa took the hint and bolted out of the throne room.

"FIVE!" Bowser said as he launched a blazing ball of fire towards the still-running koopatrol. The shot hit him before he even had a chance to leave, sending savage shouts of pain from him as the fire caused his armor to quickly heat up and scorch his weak skin.

"It looks like you're somewhat rusty on your running, koopatrol" Bowser said with a sour frown. "Perhaps I should increase your regiment's training hours to better cope with your incompetence. Then your squad mates will know exactly who to blame."

The koopatrol didn't give Bowser so much as a bow before darting out of the room, his screams echoing along the outside corridors.

Now, that was better. Under normal circumstances, Bowser would be smiling from a job well done, but all he could do today was deepen his frown. Still, that did feel good, even if for a little bit.

Bowser resumed his cynical thoughts as he slowly determined the most efficient way to stop this talk of mutiny before it became any worse. Bowser had heard of deserters of his army before, but most of those who were caught were treated with the punishment they deserved, setting an example towards any who might try a similar idea. Besides, most deserters worked alone. But when people were able to convince others in his armies about following in on their plans… that was when Bowser became enraged.

In truth, Bowser's forces were as incompetent as the toads. Without a leader, they were senseless brutes. They needed a genius like Bowser to lead them to bigger and better things. Their brains were too puny to accomplish anything other than following the rule of the one they deemed superior.

Bowser would need to remind them of that fact, and who their leader was.

He had a reputation to keep, after all.

Bowser grunted with annoyance as he heard the slow sound signaling Kamek's approach. He had no doubt the magikoopa wanted to bore him with talk of relations and paperwork. Despite his aggravation, he realized Kammy had always been much more contemptuous, though his admiration for the old wizard likely came from Bowser's withheld respect for his caretaker when he was an infant. Kamek had served him well.

The wizened magikoopa descended from his broom before holding it upwards like a standard. He was causally realigning his glasses with his other hand as he dropped to his knees in a bow.

"My Lord." Kamek stated in no amount of posed formality.

Bowser sighed. "What is it this time, Kamek? I'm in no mood for pointless interruptions."

Bowser could feel Kamek's soft burst of fear. Apparently, he had sensed Bowser's mood from the very beginning. Bowser hoped that would make things simpler.

"Be that as it may, my Lord," Kamek continued, "I'm afraid there has been a breach in the castle grounds."

Bowser growled menacingly. "This, again? What are you, a blubber-headed goomba? Can't you take care of the infestation yourself without having to give me every explicit detail? Why are you even bringing this to me? Send it to commander Sham."

The wizard's comical blue hat began dropping down, covering his eyes. Kamek carefully returned it to its original position.

"Were these intruders mere nuisances, I would be unwise in bringing the news to you, my king." Kamek placed bluntly.

Bowser raised a bushy red eyebrow. "So? Out with it, then. Who are they?"

"Commander Sham sent me a messenger the moment they were spotted. They are within his custody now, approaching you as we speak, my Lord."

"Out with it already! Who are these meddlesome pests?!" Bowser was beginning to lose his patience. Any more dodging from Kamek and he would feel his judgment in fire.

"Apparently, Mario and the Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom are the intruders." Kamek gulped, not wanted to test Bowser's foul mood any further.

Now that was unexpected. Both Mario AND the Princess in the castle? What could they possibly be up to? And how in the seven Star Spirits did they even make the voyage?

Bowser's eyes narrowed in suspicion. "Do you have any idea what they could be doing here?" he asked his old caretaker.

Kamek shook his head. "I'm afraid not. That was the last exchange I had with the commander. Shall I send him a message from you?"

Bowser spat at the ground. "Don't bother. They're coming anyway. We'll get to the bottom of this mess." _And it had better be good_.

Bowser waited for Kamek to continue. It seemed the aged koopa had something still on his mind.

Finally, Kamek nodded. "May I take my leave?"

"You may." Bowser growled, flicking his claws in annoyance.

Bowser watched Kamek leave the room the same way he came in. The doors closed through Kamek's magic.

Of all the rotten days… Bowser was beginning to become irritated with all of the mismatched interruptions within the past months. The rebellion, his mood swings, and now _this_.

"I really need a vacation." he sighed ruefully.

Within the musty hallways of Bowser's Keep, Peach felt truly afraid. No matter the occasion, every time she ever came to Bowser's stronghold she felt—and often was, held captive. The idea behind Bowser's constant attempts to lure her into his schemes seemed silly. Would he simply expect for her to bow down and give him her kingdom out of generosity? The strange koopa had many a chance to do with her what he will, but he usually just locked her up in a room until she saw things his way, which was usually never. Even his minions were courteous to her during her captivity, always treating her as if she was royalty. But Bowser…

What did he really want with her?

Thinking was all Peach could do to keep her mind from her edgy stomach. She felt as if a group of flutters were darting around haphazardly inside her.

She was wasting time. Back in Toad Town, no one knew where either she or Mario was save for the two hammer brothers they met down at the sewers. More importantly was the fact that she had simply disappeared out of thin air. Peach had no doubt the royal guard was actively looking for her.

But how much time had passed since before she entered that strange door?

Could it be possible she was in another world? She had no reason to believe otherwise, but she had no reason to doubt that idea, either.

"Keep movin', Princess!"

A crude voice from behind her made her realize she was no longer walking. The koopa regiment following them towards Bowser was right behind her. Their eyes were laced with annoyance and a slight amount of awe. Their leader looked at her like she was a soldier who had gotten out of line.

"S-sorry." She stuttered and kept on moving.

Mario passed her a glance as she caught up with him. His face was slightly bruised from all the things thrown in his direction. Fortunately, most haad missed, and it looked like everyone was out of ammunition by now.

She gave him a smile that told him she was all right.

Suddenly, an idea began to spring up in her mind.

"Commander," Peach quickly said before she could stop herself.

The koopa gave her a questioning glare.

He looked to be a hammer brother, with a large blue helmet covering the majority of his face except for his eyes. He carried two wooden hammers near his waist, both looking much too big and heavy for throwing. His ceremonial armor matched the color of his blue shell, and his face was lean and weathered. A large scar ran from his right cheek towards his eye. It made him look all the more menacing.

"How has Bowser been lately?" She asked.

The question sent the koopas in an uproar of whispers. Peach realized her mistake. The commander looked shocked for a moment, but quickly regained his composure, returning to his scowl. Peach couldn't imagine him looking any other way.

"I wasn't aware you cared for the king's well-being, Princess." He grunted. "But to answer your question: His Mightiness has been acting rather strange lately."

Peach wasn't surprised. "Oh? When did this start occurring?"

The commander shrugged. "That's on a need-to-know basis, Princess, and you don't need to know."

Well, that was just about the most enlightening conversation Peach had had in a long time. And like that, her plan had withered like a flower after a day of too much sunlight. She slowly wondered whether pressing him was a good idea.

The commander's constant frown was a clear enough message he would say nothing more on the subject. Peach ignored his attitude and kept walking in thought.

The halls retained their stark attributes throughout the way. The same hard floor crunched beneath their feet as they trudged along towards their destination. They passed countless rooms, each of different use. Hot lava was literally everywhere. How Bowser had managed to harness its power so well was a frightening mystery.

Room after room, Mario and Peach marched on in silence. The trip seemed to take forever, even though there were no stops or events along the way. Maybe that was what had Peach so on edge.

It just wasn't right. She was at the mercy of Bowser's power. He could do anything with her now, anything at all. Her nervousness only worsened as the time went on. Peach could feel it like a coiled up spring waiting to be released. All it would take was one move…

She had to be strong. She was partly at fault for what happened. She would meet Bowser head-on, as a monarch should. Peach was tired of hiding and being constantly taken advantage of. She had no time to worry; she had more important things to do.

And with that, they arrived.

The door leading into Bowser's throne room was as large and extravagant as any ruler could hope for. It was a solid red color, but the material held the qualities of glass. Peach could almost see her reflection just by looking at the door. It was at least four times her height, though considering Bowser's size that seemed normal enough. The twin handles were in the shape of Bowser's head, with the grip being a metal rod hanging from within the ornate piece's mouth. As the troop approached the door, the commander signaled a halt.

"Now you'd best mind your manners, you two," The commander threatened, "or else things might not end so well. You approach the King of the Koopas and soon to be the Ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom, pay your respects…or else."

Peach couldn't help but roll her eyes at such claptrap. Like that would ever happen while she could do something about it.

The door slowly opened with a soft creak.

Bowser's throne room was as small as Peach remembered, with very little space to hold pieces of furniture besides for the throne. Still, the exaggerated seat was as all the room needed. Covering the entire back end, it loomed over her like a still giant. It was large and menacing, but the creature sitting on it was even more so.

Peach watched gray smoke seep out of Bowser's nostrils as he watched them with unreadable eyes. His face was torn into a tight scowl, making him look more beastly than Peach had ever seen him. His red eyes glowed sharply despite the room's well-lit haze.

The commander approached the throne. From behind them, a koopa shoved her forward. Catching her balance, she gave the koopa a glare, though he seemed unfazed.

"My king," The koopa commander said with a bow. "I bring to you the two intruders. Some of our troops caught them inside the dungeon, attempting to rescue a prisoner. We have reason to suspect—"

"Good work, Sham." Bowser interrupted. "As for your suspicions, they are incorrect. Peach was never under my supervision."

The commander nodded, hiding his surprise. "As you say, King Bowser."

Something was very wrong. Bowser was showing none of his usual brashness. He seemed almost…calculating. That could lead to very unfortunate implications.

Peach tried to hold back a shiver.

"I will speak to these two alone, Sham." Bowser told him, "Return your men to their stations and recommence your training. You have wasted enough time already."

Saying no more, the commander gave Bowser another bow and motioned to his men to follow him out. The door closed quickly, leaving Peach and Mario alone with Bowser.

Bowser did nothing more besides watch them. His monstrous form remained as still as a statue, revealing a patience Peach would have not thought possible from the koopa king.

_What could have happened to him to make him turn out like this?_ She wondered.

Bowser heaved a sigh full of sorrow. The depth of its feeling caused Peach to shiver again despite the heat.

"I honestly don't know the game you two are trying to play," Bowser began, "but it ends now. You'd better place your cases quickly before I decide to do something drastic."

Now that was about enough Peach could stand. She would not be harassed like that, not by royalty, not by anyone!

"You listen here, Bowser Koopa!" She snapped, pointing a gloved finger at him. "We arrived here by no fault of our own! We were exploring an issue in the Toad Town sewers, when we uncovered a door that transported us here, of all places! Believe us: this was the last place Mario and I wanted to end up!"

Bowser pulled back at that, as if struck. His eyes showed a deep pain.

"You don't make a very compelling case, Peach." Bowser replied, his voice a bit shaky. "What has your 'bodyguard' to say on the subject?"

Mario gave no response to that. Instead, he retold the story as he remembered it, which was very similar to Peach's own version.

Bowser shook his head in confusion. "If you two are actually telling the truth, then there's something that must be done. I can't have everyone and their mother teleporting to my castle at a whim, now can I?"

Peach didn't know where Bowser was going with that.

"But I doubt you'd ever have the courage to lie, Princess, so I'll believe you." He added with a slight tone of disgust.

"Good." Peach replied, glad Bowser was actually beginning to see reason.

"But," Bowser added, "you two realize this puts me in a very difficult position. As I said, if this portal exists then I must take care of it. I have no doubt its magic could be used against me, in more ways than one."

Bowser drummed his large claws against the rests, as if contemplating his next words.

"I have a proposition for you two."

Suddenly, Peach felt very afraid.

"I want you to give me full rights to enter those sewers without interruption, until the problem of that door is settled. I am to use whatever measure I have to demolish this portal, and under no condition are you or your people to stop me."

Peach was furious. Those demands were outright ludicrous. "And what makes you think I'll abide by those terms?" she asked.

Bowser's frown became a cold smile. "I have both my arch nemesis and my soon-to-be queen within my grasp. You both are like cheep cheep trapped between a group of big bass. You possess no means of escaping here unharmed. You are trapped. You are _mine_!"

Peach understood that he was right.

"Whether or not you accept my proposal is none of my concern. Either way, I _will_ get what I want. I am simply being generous in allowing your freedom as recompense." Bowser flashed them his teeth. "The choice, as always, is yours."

So, that was the game Bowser was playing. Still, it didn't make much sense for him to offer them freedom in the first place. Maybe he saw her and Mario as nuisances—extra means in which he would have to resort resources towards keeping secure, or maybe they were irrelevant to Bowser's eventual plans. Either way, he would have their word they would not interfere should Bowser commence whatever he had in store, so he would get no trouble from them.

There was no way for her to know what exactly the koopa king was thinking. She was seeing a level of forethought and understanding beyond what she expected of Bowser.

Peach looked over to Mario only to realize his thoughts were the same as hers.

Bowser had never been the most trustworthy character on the planet, but why should he feel the need to break his word? It would be better for him not to have handed them that proposition in the first place. As he said, he had them exactly where he wanted them.

Peach gave herself a mental scolding for being so reckless. Had she never decided to be a hero, none of this would be happening. Now she was about to make a decision that could essentially hand Bowser her kingdom in a single moment. Would she have the courage to stop him should the need arise? Or would they be crushed beneath the might of Bowser's own forces?

One thing was for sure: Bowser did not look happy after learning about that strange door that brought them here in the first place, as if he had just determined something important.

"I have no time for this!" Bowser roared, stamping a large foot on the ground. "Make your decision so I can be done with you pests already!"

Peach looked at Mario once more. He gave her a nod. He would follow her every wish.

Peach had come to a decision.

She had no other choice.

"I've made up my mind." Peach claimed. "We accept your proposition, Bowser."

If Bowser was any bit affected, he was very good at hiding it.

"Took you long enough." He grumbled. "I suppose you'll be wanting a royal escort on your way out."

"Well," she stammered, "we don't particularly know how to get off of here."

Bowser grinned mirthfully. "Somehow I find that very hard to believe."

The massive koopa pulled himself up from his throne. He was as large and muscled as Peach remembered. She had no doubt he was easily capable of carrying them both with ease.

His footsteps shook the floor as he walked over to them. "Well, let's get going then. I don't want to have to babysit you two for much longer."

Peach and Mario followed him out the door.

Commander Sham and his men were nowhere to be seen as Mario followed Bowser out of the throne room. They had likely done just as Bowser told them. There was little layaway in Bowser's decisions; when he spoke, people listened. When he commanded, people obeyed. Though he and Peach were both rulers, Mario noted they were the exact opposites in their strategies. Peach ruled through trust and loyalty, while Bowser ruled through force and tyranny. There were good things and bad things to say about both methods.

Bowser continued his uneven march, ignoring the company behind him. Mario understood that Bowser had little to fear from him or Peach. They had already given the koopa king their word. Mario had decided to follow Peach no matter her choice, and he doubted she would be pleased if he went back on his promise.

Still, he didn't trust Bowser. Not now, not ever.

Many times throughout his adventures, Mario had been forced to team up with Bowser. The Koopa King had always proven himself to be a formidable ally as well as enemy, but having to watch him endlessly always proved to be more of a liability than anything else. Bowser always had his own explicit reasons for teaming up with Mario, and they rarely saw eye-to-eye. Most of the time their paths merely crossed by happenstance.

Even so, Mario felt more uneasy around Bowser now than he ever had before.

That look he and Peach shared told him everything. She understood what was going on as well as he did, perhaps better. Bowser had changed. No longer was he the rash and unsightly brute Mario had come to know. He was now much more cunning. He was up to something, and Mario needed to determine what that something was.

Around them Bowser's crew stood with their mouths agape as they watched Bowser leading him and Peach further into the castle. That brought a harsh chuckle from Bowser. No doubt he was enjoying their confusion…but why?

Bowser's castle was more of a fortress as far as Mario was concerned. Every single troop they passed by looked ready for battle, as if they were expecting an attack any second. Some went about their duty patrolling the grounds or carrying supplies, while others pushed around large cannons, their wheels creaking metrically. Mario had no idea why Bowser had his army always in top position; it's not like he had anything to fear from the toads.

The sound of footsteps caught Bowser's attention. He halted as he faced their source.

"Lord Bowser!" An orange-robed shy guy said between pants. "Our trappers have returned from their trek to the northeast! They have captured a variety of different specimens and are awaiting your word."

"What?" Peach whispered. "What are they talking about?"

Mario was just as confused as she was.

"Excellent. Tell them I shall be with them shortly."

The shy guy nodded but remained waiting. "My Lord," he continued, "there is one creature the trappers were very eager to show you. They believe you should have a look at it at once."

Bowser looked about ready to burst from rage. "Did you not hear what I said? I will meet with them when it IS APPROPRIATE FOR ME! Do not make me repeat myself again, or both you and those ungrateful morons will live to regret it!"

Something was definitely wrong with Bowser. If Mario wasn't sure before, then that was all the evidence he needed to realize it to be true.

At that moment, a scream shook the entire room.

"Get back here!" A voice yelled from behind Bowser.

Mario looked to see what the cause of all the noise was.

He heard Peach gasp.

A small tanoomba was running towards them at a fast pace. He looked to be the smallest tanoomba Mario had ever seen. The creature was just about running for its life and was tiring quickly. It looked like most tanoombas Mario had encountered during his travels in the Beanbean kingdom except for its short stature and the leaf hanging atop his head, which was a golden color instead of the usual green.

A net shot out from behind the tanoomba and caught it with perfect accuracy. The small creature struggled as it tried to break free.

"Gotcha!" The same voice that gave off the yell said. Another minion, whose attire was similar to the first, followed the other one in towards Bowser.

"Heh, we're sorry about that, m'Lord." The second one said as he scratched the backside of his head. "That boy's a frisky one, that's fer sure."

The orange shy guy harrumphed. All eyes were on him. "Yes, well… It seems the prized specimen I told you about is standing right before you, my king."

Mario looked at the small creature with pity. It looked to be nothing more than a child.

The tanoomba struggled valiantly, grunting all the while, but it was no use. "Let me go!" he cried.

"This is what you wanted to show me?" Bowser said with raised brows. "This creature is nothing more than an infant!"

"Be that as it may, my Lord," the first trapper added, "this little rascal possesses unimaginable power."

"Oh? Enlighten me." Bowser said as he crossed his arms, sounding none-too-hopeful.

Mario glanced at Peach, trying to see what she was thinking. Her expression was a combination of disgust and fear.

"This 'ere's a tanoomba." The second trapper added. "We caught 'im near the Mushroom Kingdom's border. This little tyke can transform into anything, yer Majesty. With enough training, 'e could be a one man army."

"You did _what_?" Peach blurted out. "This is unacceptable! You sent your men to trap minions in my realm? That is beyond what I can take!"

Bowser ignored her. "Interesting… How many of these things did you capture?"

"Just him, my King." The first one said. "The tanoombas are very elusive and difficult to capture due to their powerful transformation abilities. We caught this one by chance and were lucky he was but a child and thus very weak and easily duped."

"Hmm, I suppose this one will have to do then. Place him in the dungeons and stand watch over him. I will see the rest of your catch after I'm finished with these two."

"As you say, my Lord." Both trappers said with a bow.

"I will not allow this!" Peach declared. "You have no right to be conducting illegal activities in my land!"

"Didn't you read the fine print, Princess?" Bowser mocked, "They said the tanoomba was caught within the _Beanbean Kingdom_—their natural habitat. Thus, this is none of your concern. It's that fat sow's problem now, not yours."

Bowser was definitely pushing it with that boast.

"I refuse to believe that! Look at him, Bowser!" Peach said as she pointed to the distraught creature. "He's only a child! He doesn't have any idea what's going on! He's afraid and probably misses his parents something fierce! Don't you have any sympathy?"

"He may be a child, be he has the potential to provide me many things I desire. I must find a way to expand my army, Princess, and capturing creatures from other kingdoms is the perfect way to do that."

"Please, Bowser! Let him go!"

Bowser raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And what of my other captures? Surely this thing is not the only child among them. Would you be so selfish as to allow freedom to one while the rest remain under my control? How unbecoming of you, Princess."

"Quit changing the subject! My concern as of now is with this tanoomba and no one else!"

"Give me one good reason why I should even consider giving up one of my most prized captures for nothing." Bowser demanded.

Mario knew the princess had no answer for him. He understood there was no reason at all for Bowser to free the tanoomba. Around them, the two trappers and the shy guy watched Peach intently, waiting for her response. It seemed as if everyone in the entire castle had their eyes on the princess.

"Please, Bowser. If you won't do it for him or his family, then do it for me."

Bowser's eyes bulged at her words. He looked about ready to fall over.

"Would that…make you happy?" His voice came as a thin rasp, as if he couldn't believe what he was asking.

Peach gave Bowser a questioning stare. "Happy? I suppose…"

Bowser sighed and closed his eyes. It looked like a storm was going on in his mind. He remained still for quite some time, waiting for his decision to finally come to him.

"You two: I want you to get that tanoomba out of here as fast as possible. Return him to where you found him. I will hear your report once you arrive here anew."

"The two trappers looked ready to protest.

"NOW!" Bowser yelled.

Both men bolted from the room, carrying with them the net holding the small creature. He looked at Peach with a puzzled expression before the doors connecting another room closed with a resounding bang.

The castle stood silent.

"What are you all looking at?" Bowser asked with a sharp growl. "Get back to work!"

Fearing for their lives, those watching did just that.

The orange shy guy bowed once more before scampering off.

The look Peach gave Mario confirmed his suspicions. Bowser was acting very paranoid.

"You owe me big time, Princess!" Bowser chided, glaring at her all the while.

"Thank you, Bowser. You didn't have to do that, but I'm very happy you did."

"And don't I know it?" Bowser sighed. Still, Mario could see spots of red in the large koopa's cheeks. "Now come on. I want to be rid of you two already!"

They continued following Bowser feeling much more light-hearted than before. Mario wondered again if Bowser would keep his word or if he just lied to keep the princess happy. Mario doubted they would ever find out.

"How do you plan to get us out of here anyway?" Peach asked. "Where are we?"

Bowser chuckled at her ignorance. "This is my air fortress, of course. I would have though you'd have recognized it by now."

Peach looked surprised. "So we're up in the sky?"

Bowser nodded. "Meaning there's only one real way for me to get you both down. Well, there's another, but I doubt you'd appreciate it." He showed her his teeth.

"Will you be taking us yourself?"

"Ha! I didn't know you enjoyed my company so much, Princess. Maybe we should do this more often." Bowser said with harsh sarcasm in his voice.

Peach's expression became unreadable. "Bowser…" She whispered.

"No, I've too much to do already. I'll be sending you off with air marshal Morri. He's more than you deserve, but I wouldn't want your citizens to come to any unwanted conclusions regarding your disappearance."

That seemed odd. Bowser always enjoyed a good fight. Why would he care about what the toads thought?

Stopping, Bowser pressed a button on the wall, which opened up a large door in front of him. Inside the door was a large red plane with a dry bones wearing a flying cap sitting at the front. He nodded to Bowser, Peach and Mario and stood waiting.

"Both of you and Morri will have plenty of time for pleasantries on the road." Bowser said. "So climb aboard, already!"

Mario and Peach did as they were told, deciding to sit in the pair of seats behind Morri.

"About our arrangement," Bowser continued. "It will take you less than a day to reach the Mushroom Kingdom. Once Morri returns and gives me the okay I will send my men over to check your sewers. I expect you to have warned all of your residents before our arrival. Is that understood?"

Peach replied that it was.

Bowser glanced at them for a bit before pressing another button next to the plane. The wall in front of them began to rise, revealing the soft blue sky for the first time. Mario and Peach squinted their eyes from the sun. It had been a while since they had last seen it.

"All clear." Bowser told his air marshal.

The dry bones started up the compact plane. The engine roared to life and the plane was sent from the launch pad out into the skies.

Mario sighed, closing his eyes. He held his red hat in his lap, feeling the cool midmorning breeze flow through his hair. They were flying close enough to the ground to be able to see all of the people below them. Peach waved to them happily.

The dry bones was as Mario had expected. He wasn't very much of a talker, or he simply refused to speak with others not in the koopa troop, but he still treated them both with respect.

"How much longer until we arrive, Morri?" Peach asked their pilot.

"We're nearly there, Princess. See that point in the horizon? That's the tip of your castle."

Peach looked confused. "Where? I don't see anything."

Just then, Mario heard a sound that sent jolts of fear crashing into him. It sounded like the death throes of a beast.

Or the engine.

Before Peach could even ask what was going on, the plane shot out of flight. The world was utter chaos. Mario felt like his entire body would burst. Peach's screams and the sound of rushing wind were the only things he could hear. Morri tried his best to control the plane but could do little to stabilize it. The ground was getting clearer and clearer.

In a few moments, they would crash.

Mario didn't know if they would make it.

His screams joined Peach as they met the ground in a savage embrace.

The world melded into darkness.


	4. Awakening

Chapter IV

**Awakening**

"Mario…please, wake up!"

Mario ignored the voice and let silence fill his mind. He felt numb everywhere yet at the same time filled with a lingering pain that traveled through his entire body like a destructive current only increasing in momentum. He couldn't even open his eyes.

He didn't want to.

Mario just wanted to sit still and relax. Let the world handle itself for once. They would all have to go on without him for a change.

His strange desire for release was both uncharacteristic and unbefitting of his nature, but he simply no longer wanted to be the catalyst behind everyone's problems. He knew it was selfish of him, but it seemed right. He need only relax now, for as long as he wished.

He felt his mouth open and nearly choked as something was sent through it. He began coughing and swallowed the item entirely.

Soft warmth began to enter him as he felt his body begin to revive. He was still sore, but managed to move his arms without any immense pain. He opened his eyes in shock and saw the princess gazing at him concerned.

"Thank the stars you've awaken!"

Mario grunted as he stood up. He passed his gloved hands through his shirt and overalls to brush off some of the dust and dirt and stood facing the princess.

"We went through quite a fall."

Mario nodded and asked her if she was all right.

"I'm fine. You suffered most of the injuries."

He looked around for Morri but found no sign of him.

"I don't know where he landed either." Peach replied, reading his mind. "Even the remains of the plane are nowhere to be seen. Maybe we were launched away from where the plane crashed?"

Mario had no answer to her question, but then agreed when Peach added, "I hope he's all right."

He stared at his surroundings for the first time. They landed in a meadow filled with green grass and flowers of all sorts. To their left, a brown dirt road snaked its way across the horizon. The sun was a bright yellow, a golden ship across a sea of blue. Mario estimated the time of the day was no later than midmorning.

"We were knocked out for some time, I bet," The princess declared. "Just look at me! My dress is filthy!"

Mario's own garments fared no better.

He watched as Peach began to trace her finger along her pink dress. "This won't go well when we get back to the castle." She added.

Suddenly the princess stiffened as her hands went to her hair.

"Oh no!" Peach gasped. "My crown!"

Mario gave out a confused grunt. Upon further inspection, he finally realized the cause of Peach's surprise: she was no longer wearing her crown.

"I must have lost it during the crash!" She stammered while her gaze shifted to the floor. "This isn't good."

Mario wondered why the crown was so important to Peach.

"We need to look for it, Mario." Peach declared in a voice that allowed no room for argument. "It's a family heirloom. Just think of what the other heads of state will think if I returned without it. It will take months to build a new one, not to mention the cost of such an endeavor."

Mario sighed, the laces of fatigue evident in his moan.

"We should get going." She said. "Hopefully it didn't go far, but it could have landed anywhere."

The princess began walking in the direction of the brown road.

"Toad Town and the castle shouldn't be too distant from out current location." Peach pointed out. "We landed in the eastern outskirts of Mushroom Road, it seems. We can look for the plane as well as the crown as we walk back."

Mario was genuinely surprised by the princess's sense of direction.

"Still," Peach hesitated, "the road seems too silent for normalcy. I usually have guards set patrolling the area to take care of the constant goomba and koopa infestation. Many of them turn bandit and wreck havoc among the small villages that reside around this road."

Peach was just full of surprises today.

"I truly wish I could do more," Peach sighed, "but we currently face more important problems than ruffians and bandits. The realm's security will have to wait."

Mario gagged on those words but said nothing.

"Wait a minute… Mario, look over there!"

Peach returned to the open meadow and looked to the sky. Mario followed her into the wide space and mimicked her gaze.

The plumber felt his heart rush to his throat.

Overhead, a giant mechanical fortress covered the sky in a crude haze. The structure of the airship was instantly recognizable to the pair.

"No," Peach cried, the fear evident in her voice. "No, no, no! We were fools, Mario! Utter fools!"

Mario understood how the princess felt. But this new development just didn't add up. Could it merely be a coincidence that Bowser was flying so near to Toad Town? It certainly wouldn't help to just jump to conclusions.

"We must reach Toad Town before that impatient ingrate does! He could capture it in an instant if we aren't there to stop him!"

As far as the princess was concerned in this argument, that was correct enough. Mario nodded in agreement.

"Quickly," Peach beckoned, "this way."

Mario watched as the princess began running in the direction of the sun, the tatters of her dress fluttering in the open wind. Mario looked off into the distance to make sure he wasn't missing anything important and quickly followed suit.

A ruffle from behind stopped him in his tracks.

"Mario!" Peach gasped, "Look out!"

Mario dived to the ground in a tumble, face planted in the lush green grass. Looking up, he saw the source of Peach's surprise. A goomba sat facing him with a smirk on his lips, his two fangs gleaming dangerously. The goomba gave Mario a wink.

Before Mario could act, he felt a force as hard as a rock land on his back. He fell to the ground once more with a grunt of pain.

Two goombas now stood before him, their sneers every bit as humiliating as them having caught Mario unawares. From next to him, Mario heard the princess shriek and quickly turned his head. A third goomba held on to her dress with its fangs as Peach struggled to break free.

"Well, well, well…" the first goomba said in a rough voice, "look what we've managed to fish up, boys."

The three goombas all hummed in agreement. Peach was no longer yelling as the goomba subduing her had managed to gag her. Mario could only watch is sheer terror.

He knew he could do nothing, or risk Peach being harmed. All Mario could hope for was that the three bandits didn't recognize him.

"I'd recognize that fella anywhere," the second goomba who had managed to hold Mario to the ground said, "he's Mario!"

That alone caused the three goombas to murmur excitedly. Mario hoped that fear was the emotion that most showed through their voices.

"Curse out good luck then! Been wanting to show that esteemed do-gooder what fer." The first said, giving Mario a deadly smirk all the while.

So they knew who he was. That could be problematic.

"And who's the lady?" The third goomba added. "Never seen 'er afore."

"Don't know," the first replied, "though she's mighty cute. Might be we can teach 'em both a lesson afore we ransom them."

Peach let out a small whimper. Mario felt cold sweat running down the nape of his neck. It was as if all his aches and pains had dissipated, leaving only sheer terror and that slithering dollop of perspiration running down his back in their wake.

"If she's traveling with this knucklehead, she must be important!" The second goomba said. Suddenly, his eyes lit up in surprise. "Eeeey, didn't we hear 'bout the princess missin' from some merchants a day er so ago?"

The other two goombas nodded their affirmatives, but could not manage to get what their partner was saying.

"Yeah, so?" The third inquired in a muffled voice.

"Must be her!" He answered, not bothering to keep the sheer excitement from his voice.

The three goombas moaned in awe, as though they encountered a pile of gold lying out in the open.

The trio then looked at each other, contemplating their clear fortune.

Leaving them completely distracted.

Mario took his chance, lancing out his fist to collide with the second goomba's back. It connected without a sound, but pushed the creature back enough for him to be able to stand without hassle.

Pushing himself off the floor, Mario leapt skyward, his target the goomba holding down Peach. The mushroom-shaped bandit met his gaze but was too inexperienced for anything more. With a grunt of pain, the goomba was squished beneath Mario's weight, ending up as a flat smear on the ground.

Peach, without much experience in the arts of close combat, handled herself admirably, pulling away from the coming assault of the first footpad and hiding behind Mario.

Both goombas backed away then to join their fallen partner, who was now slowly beginning to return to his normal shape. The three looked at Mario with hesitant large eyes, as though considering their chances of success.

Peach's hand on his shoulder told him everything he needed to know about her condition and their own chances. Despite Mario's neglect from his training, three goombas were little match for him. Judging from their slow reaction, they were greenhorn fighters, likely renegades from some faraway place turning bandit in the hopes of glory or money.

Still, he had to be careful.

Without much ceremony, the three sprang to attack simultaneously.

With little other choice, Mario pushed the princess back with a shove, possessing no other means of protecting her from their assault. Though his gambit came at a price: he no longer had the time to properly dodge the heavy charge and was knocked once more to the ground, pain lancing through his body.

Overwhelmed, Mario could do nothing but bear the brunt of their attack as the trio continued to strike him, biting and kicking with fierce abandon.

Peach wasted no time, running quickly before a pile of stones, Peach located the heaviest she could find and threw it, sending it crashing only to land on the forehead of one of Mario's assailants. The goomba was knocked out with a groan.

Mario swatted at the other two attackers feebly as they continued their pummeling without so much as a glance for their fallen friend. Still, without much to protect their weak exteriors, the goombas were beginning to lose strength as Mario's punches took their toll.

Still, he was nonetheless outnumbered.

Out of suitable ammunition, Peach could do little more than watch in horror as Mario's counter strikes became less precise and forceful. They would drive him to exhaustion, and then they would turn their attention to her.

She thought to flee. If she began now, the bandits would be hard-pressed to catch her even if they were faster. But the thought of leaving Mario to their fate was all too much to bear.

_ This can't be happening! My stars, he's losing and there's nothing I can do!_

For what felt like the first time in her life, Princess Peach Toadstool felt the weight of futility threaten to drag her down into numbed submission. She then realized just how much she needed Mario, for without him she had no means of defending herself. It had always been like this, even since they were children.

She considered surrendering herself, holding on to the foolish hope the bandits would release Mario if she went with them willingly. She clung to that belief like a drowning koopa to a fallen log despite deep inside understanding how ridiculous the idea sounded. The bandits would have no reason to simply follow or even agree to her word in the first place. Soon Mario's resistance would cease and she would be theirs.

A strange sensation took her then; the feeling of panic melded with the longing desire to fix the mess she had created for herself and Mario. Peach felt the need within her take shape and release itself into the material world and watched with paralyzed wonder as Mario began struggling with renewed vigor.

Peach felt a pit within her stomach, as if her heart had removed itself from her body, only to provide Mario the necessary resolve to continue fighting. It was, to her, a worthy sacrifice.

Mario had managed to drive his two attackers away. Standing up, he marveled at his newfound strength. One moment he had been completely at the mercy of the bandits, the next, he felt completely renewed, as if he had just woken up from a relaxing nap.

Taking no chances, he proceeded to dispatch the remaining two combatants in a blur of jumps, their surprised features still completely evident even as they fell.

"Are you all right?" Peach asked from behind him, her voice more stoic that Mario would have expected.

Upon seeing her, he could do nothing other than voice the same question.

Peach looked as though she had just went through a storm. Her skin was pale and lifeless, and she wobbled as she walked as though in a stupor.

Mario made his concerns heard with as much calmness as he could muster.

"I'm fine." Peach reassured him despite looking anything but. "That was quite an unexpected scuffle."

Ignoring her, Mario told her his ideas regarding Peach's condition and his sudden burst of energy.

"Yes, I too believe I was the result of your newfound strength." Peach agreed, "I don't know how it happened… I simply wished for your well-being, and I felt something release inside of me…"

Peach had no reason to continue since both of them knew the rest, though Mario realized he understood what had caused her sudden lapse in health. As quickly as he could, he explained it to her.

"You believe I tapped into a shared conduit of power, causing me to wither from its sudden release?" Peach inquired. "You are more familiar with this than I, but I suppose it makes sense. Still," she murmured, "that doesn't explain where the power to wish you back to health came from."

Mario concurred with that thought, despite not possessing a proper means of explaining it. All of his ideas were but conjectures at this point.

"I am beginning to feel slightly better." Peach proclaimed "But I still sense that hidden reserve of power decreased somehow. I don't know how much more help I'll be to you without a means of replenishing it."

Mario began to argue, insisting she not push herself for his sake.

"And what of the bout from earlier?" Peach snapped, hurt from being pushed away so easily. "Where would we be now had I simply chosen not to help you?"

Peach glared at him as he scrambled his head for something to say, but could find no excuse to give her. Sighing in exasperation, Mario concluded Peach had been right.

"Good!" Peach said, suddenly cheerful again. "Now that you've decided to accept my help, I think you'll find yourself much more capable than before."

Mario nodded slowly to that.

"You know, I'm somewhat relieved." the princess drawled. "I don't know where this strange power came from, but I now possess a means of being useful to you. Now you have no excuse to turn me away from your heroic activities."

There were plenty of reasonable excuses Mario could have provided, but he instead remained silent, trying his best to suppress a groan.

"You handled those thugs admirably." Peach continued, looking at the unconscious goombas as she spoke. "Aside from my awakened ability, however, do recall I am quite knowledgeable when it comes to my kingdom and her inhabitants, so if you ever forget how to best handle your adversaries, simply let me know and I'll do what I can."

Mario nodded his agreement.

"Good, let's get out of here then. We've wasted enough time on those three."

Mario and Peach continued their trek through the Mushroom Road's meandering route, stopping only to search bushes and the like for any useful items they might find. They stumbled upon a cache of coins and other objects, namely food or herbs, more than once. They were no doubt stashes of loot obtained by the local banditry, and so Mario felt no shame in taking the items for himself.

The wide road was not devoid of life, however. More footpads continued to confront the pair as the traveled through the road worn down by merchant caravans and the dust of countless travelers. Common goombas were the most frequent perpetrators, though a lone rouge koopa amongst their ranks was not unheard of. Much to their chagrin, Mario's jumping prowess made quick work of them.

There were, however, few friendly faces to greet as they neared the structure that was Toad Town in the distance. The fact left Peach awfully somber, though Mario knew she was no doubt worried for her coming punishment. It couldn't be helped; she had chosen to accompany Mario and now had to live with the consequences of her brash decision.

The amount of outlawry running unchecked throughout the road was almost staggering to behold. Like weeds sprouting from a field left unchecked, the local banditry flourished with no guards to keep them in line. The Mushroom Road was never seen as too dangerous for casual travel, though Mario supposed most merchants who traveled through it hired plenty of support to keep their goods safe. Peach and Mario looked as two simple travelers, and thus likely easy pickings in the minds of highwaymen. No other bandits encountered in their travels had recognized either of them, meaning they likely hadn't raided any caravans lately to learn the news of the princess's disappearance. Peach slowly wondered how many of her citizens actually knew her by her face.

No doubt they wouldn't have recognized her in her current condition regardless.

The princess made a mental note to place a suggestion that would lead to increased security throughout the road when she made it to Toad Town. The whereabouts of her stationed force was still nowhere to be seen, and such a large section of land would doubtless require more security.

Though not even the hopeful suggestion of reform could quell her sense of guilt for leaving her kingdom so out of proper protection.

No guards met their trail. No friendly faces wished them well. The seemingly endless hordes of bandits and ruffians were their only company, and even they were slowly declining in appearance, choosing to fight other battles upon seeing the trail of their unconscious fellows left in the duo's wake, not that Mario minded.

The two of them walked in measured silence, too afraid of what they might find in Toad Town to voice their growing concerns. Running was pointless; better they meet Bowser in decent condition rather than encounter him reeling from fatigue, but the need for haste was still apparent to him and his companion both.

They were already strained enough from the day's occurrences regardless.

Peach and Mario walked westerly with the sun past them now, the dazzling yellow orb pulling them forward like a chain chomp broken free of the peg that held it in place. Looking at the burning object caused Mario to squint his eyes. It gave off a powerful glow in the distance that was almost beautiful if not for the glaring pain that accompanied its visage.

The Mushroom Road's green plains were said to have been inhabited since the first ruler of the kingdom. Pounded and shaped by centuries of use, they had become almost as much a symbol of the kingdom as Toad Town itself. The road connected every city of the kingdom and all sides converged to Toad Town. Mario judged they were no more than a few hours away from reaching their destination had the plane not malfunctioned.

Despite how ridiculous the idea had seemed beforehand, Mario was beginning to see Bowser's gambit for what it was. The plan had been nothing but a ploy, a means of obtaining Peach's permission to explore the sewers and likely take over the kingdom in the process. There was no other way to explain the disappearance of the plane and its pilot. Things were looking too much like a coincidence.

But that still didn't explain why Bowser had needed the princess's permission in the first place. As he had mentioned: he had her where he wanted her, leading to the fact that the whole point of having her return to her home so quickly was so she could tell the aristocracy about the strange door and Bowser's determination to be rid of it. Could the Koopa King have perhaps changed his mind?

Mario felt Peach stiffen beside him.

"Mario," She exclaimed while wrinkling her nose. "Do you smell that?"

He sniffed the air but could catch no sign of anything abnormal.

"Smoke…" Peach replied absentmindedly. "It smells like smoke."

A particular gust of wind reached them, causing the green growth all around them to sway in its coming. The current brought along with it a dry, acrid smell.

Then Mario realized what had looked to be a trick of the sun was in fact the bright form of a lambent sky.

Emanating from Toad Town.

Mario and Peach proceeded at a breakneck pace, no longer ceasing to look for clues or items along the way. Bewildered banditry watched them move in a blur, unable to even think to confront the pair before they were gone. Such was their hurry.

They passed through countless stone formations and grassy knolls, and had the situation not been so dire, Peach would have loved nothing more than to walk amongst the monuments of history and discover their meaning, but now she gave them barely even a moment's thought.

Toad Town—her home, was being destroyed before her eyes.

And it was all her fault.

She fought back tears as she ran. Crying was pointless, and she felt a pang of anger for having resorted to such futile measures of facing her own mistakes. Her people were no doubt doing enough wallowing already, all as a result of her incompetence.

She had betrayed them all, perhaps for the last time.

They neared Toad Town's west gate, where the smell and smoke were nauseating in their potency. The grass beneath their feet was charred and blackened, leaving nothing but patches of gray ground behind. She could see silhouettes in the distance, all entering the town in an orderly file, but it was a larger shape that caught her interest.

Mario and Peach hid themselves in a large unnoticed stone near the main road while catching quick glances of the monstrous figure that appeared to be commanding the smaller ones to come into the town. If they were to try an assault to take back Toad Town, they couldn't do it with a squad of soldiers on their trail.

They waited until the sound of marching was no longer audible, leaving only a sound neither Peach nor Mario recognized.

The town garrison and her own royal guard were now Toad Town's only hope, yet she knew deep within her they would not be enough. She wondered then to what extent her newfound power could be used. Perhaps it worked on all wishes she made, but her reserves of energy had been completely used up. Peach had since recovered from the nauseating effects of working with that energy fount, but the source itself was devoid of sufficient enough strength for even one more attempt, like a body of water since dried up, leaving only puddles behind.

Yet she and Mario knew they would have to take care of the large commander if they wanted to help relieve the town of its invaders.

Mario proceeded onward with Peach at his heels. The light playing off the large figure soon subsided, revealing its features.

The air blooper was the largest Peach had ever seen, with almost glossy cyan-colored skin and an intimidating green hat. Peach noticed countless medals and honors hanging like fetishes from its many tentacles.

The sizeable squid-like creature regarded Mario and then Peach without any measure of surprise, floating through the air before them in a dizzying fashion.

"You should not be here." It declared in a predominately male voice categorized by countless gurgles and grunts.

"Funny, I seem to hold the very same feelings for you." Peach yelled back. "Whoever you are, you will pay for what you have accomplished here."

The general shook a tentacle in what appeared to be a mocking gesture. "I have lead and won many prior engagements. Your threats are meaningless."

"I demand you tell me who is responsible for this!" Peach called out in an ireful tone.

"Such information must be withheld." The air blooper answered. "You are not supposed to be here."

Before she could reply, the blooper charged forward in a blur, lashing out with a large tentacle. Mario took the blow head-on, sending him sprawling to the scorched earth behind Peach.

She sighed in relief as her champion rose and delivered a devastating jump to the general's head, knocking off his hat and bringing the floating blooper to the floor.

Peach quickly searched within their pack to find anything she could use to help. They had harvested a variety of herbs and flowers, as well as located some Mushrooms and jars of Honey Syrup. She decided to leave the stock be and instead focused on her foe, attempting to determine a weak spot Mario could exploit.

The creature growled as he picked up his hat before a high-pitched keening sound filled the air.

The blooper then began to grow a bright yellow.

"Mario," she cried, "wait!" But could only watch in horror as the mustached man ignored her call and attack the oversized creature with his jumping prowess.

Peach almost felt Mario's pain as he recoiled from the contact. She could see his body shake from the shocking blow he received from the army leader's electrically charged skin.

Still, Mario recovered looking only slightly worse for wear.

"Mario," She cautioned, "he's preparing to launch his stored energy into a powerful bolt! Stay focused when his skin glows yellow, and try not to touch it—"

The sound of footsteps brought Peach's advice to a halt as she gasped to find a goomba trudging from the town to their vicinity.

"Mario! There are goombas coming your way!"

She saw him grit his teeth in frustration as he went to dispatch the coming reinforcements. Peach was at a loss as to what to do. The general's strategy was simple enough: keep Mario busy in order to send out his charge attack with unmatched power and precision. Mario couldn't keep his attention on both the air blooper and the goombas at the same time without risking his well-being as well as her own.

The goombas were covered in red armor and wore spiked caps, meaning Mario couldn't jump lest he harm himself as a result. She had forgotten about Mario's proficiency with a hammer and thus had been remiss in bringing one along.

Well, that blooper wasn't the only one with reinforcements. Pride began to well up inside Peach at her sudden idea.

"Mario!" She ordered. "Keep your attention on the general! I'll take care of the goombas."

She could see more of them coming along now. There were already five of them standing before Mario, each waiting to tear him to shreds as their commanding officer kept readying his attack.

The princess watched him nod his understanding and quickly tore open the sack, removing a closed jar, though this one didn't contain syrup or jelly of any sort. She aimed the neck to the proceeding row of goombas and unstoppered it with a grunt.

Then smiled.

A rolling wave of flame flew out of the bottle, the force driving her to the floor, but she watched in morbid awe as the goombas began screaming in agony as they were seared within their metal armor.

The spirits kept captive inside the jar had found release, but only in the destruction of all that opposed them.

Despite her joy at seeing her plan properly work, Peach couldn't keep back the nauseating sense telling her she had just stolen countless lives. Still, she wouldn't allow herself a trace of sympathy for the dying goombas. Would they feel the same regret when they slaughtered her people unceremoniously?

She dropped the bottle with a sudden sharp intake of breath. Looking at her hands, she could see the charred flesh under her dirty and damaged gloves. The hurt was miniscule compared to that provided by the sorrow in her heart.

Even the general seemed to be struggling within the conflagration. He keened in pain, and the discomfort was enough to let his concentration slip.

A sudden blast of lightning was sent from the creature's tentacles and forked its way straight to Mario's position.

The plumber was quicker, throwing himself to the side just as the bolt struck the space where he had stood just a moment ago.

The sudden embers left as soon as they had come once the goombas ceased screaming. Only their burnt armor now remained.

With a slightly satisfied smile, Peach could see the next wave of goombas hesitate openly as they watched her. Even discipline gave way to instinct when faced with a difficult situation as the one they were currently under.

Peach placed her hand inside the bag once more for emphasis and removed another jar. This one contained Honey Syrup, but the goombas were too far away to notice the difference. They took the cue and ran for their lives.

In the direction of the town.

Peach breathed in a sigh of relief. It had been a small victory, but a victory nonetheless.

"Unacceptable." The air blooper raged, but it was too late. Having missed his attack, he was now without much power, leaving him easy pickings for Mario to finish off without too much further damage to his person.

Once the creature was dispatched, Peach moved closer to Mario to note his condition. The plumber was in tatters, but still alive. His body had bruises and cuts from the fallen general's attacks, and he smelled like burned hair.

In their situation, Peach couldn't have asked for anything better.

"Here." She said as she offered him a mushroom. "I believe it's safe to say you've earned this."

He took the edible fungus with a thankful sigh and consumed it. The change was next to instantaneous, and the princess could tell he was feeling a whole lot better.

"It's as we feared." Peach sighed. "Bowser betrayed our word."

Mario could say nothing to Peach's declaration. Even he understood those goombas weren't inexperienced ruffians—they were trained soldiers and wore their armor. There was no one else who had managed to subdue the goombas to submission save for the Koopa King himself.

There was very little reason to doubt it now.

"That general," Peach whispered, "he mentioned how we shouldn't be here. Mario," she faced him then and could see the meaning of his expression written as clear as daylight.

Bowser had tried to assassinate them through the plane crash. There was no other explanation for his behavior. They had encountered no sight of their silent pilot or the plane throughout their travels.

"I never thought he would stoop so low." She finished.

Peach felt nothing despite the sudden realization. She had become as ice, and would exact proper judgment on Bowser once they met.

She couldn't allow her emotions to take over her now, or she would simply not possess the ability to move on.

She so clearly wanted to be wrong. She wanted nothing more than to slip away and return to her room, realizing the day's events were nothing more than a nightmare. But deep down, she knew those thoughts were childish and impossible. She had to be strong.

Peach blinked and realized Mario was looking right at her, the concern evident in his face.

"I'm fine." She lied.

Mario's brows furrowed as he took her hand in his. On a normal day, Peach would have had her heart beating double time at such a naïve gesture. As a princess, she was not often used to physical contact with her subjects, and wouldn't have minded it most of the time.

This time, Peach only wanted to shrivel up into a ball and cry herself to sleep.

Mario's eyes were on her scorched hand, and while she knew he appreciated the sacrifice she made, she also was aware of his guilt, as if the incident had been his fault.

_Dear Mario, always so easily willing to take the blame for things that are not of your doing. A damaged hand is the least I can offer for my mistakes._

Peach suddenly felt very uncomfortable. They were wasting time. She turned her gaze to the gate and spotted the rubble within.

"Let us proceed, Mario. With luck, King Koopa is still within the town where we can still make him rue the day he chose us as his enemy."

She watched Mario scan the sky for a sign of his flying fortress or perhaps Bowser's clown car, but his constant frown told her of either he saw no sign.

Mario and Peach slowly walked into Toad Town's west entrance, unmindful of the destruction that covered the town like a rain cloud of despair.

Within, the world was chaos.


	5. Memories

Chapter V

**Memories**

The source of the fire Peach had thought to observe from Mushroom Road was unprecedented, but Toad Town was still in ruin. The sudden clash of reality with her esteemed hopes stole the breath from the princess's lungs. There was no way to prepare herself for the destruction she now witnessed, no means of mitigating the brunt of the blow.

It took a concerned question from Mario to snap her back into reality.

The noise was deafening. The entire town had risen in a cacophony of screams and grunts. Peach knew that even if she were to close her ears from the clamor, it would remain with her forever.

_We must all bear scars of the past. They tell us of our mistakes while the pain reminds us we are still alive._

Peach shook Mario off as gently as she could and proceeded into the ruined husk that had once been her sanctuary.

Her home.

The western gate led the pair into the merchant square. The toads were a mercantile and bureaucratic people by default, which meant shops and ware stands were ubiquitous all throughout Toad Town, but the merchant square was known to hold the highest-grade items and services. Many of the shops were also places of residence to the owners, though a good number of buildings were simple warehouses and other areas to hold stock. Some of the shop owners likely specialized in weapons or power-enhancing badges, which made the district a perfect choice for an early assault.

Peach doubted a wide majority of the shopkeepers knew how to utilize their own wares, which would make them easy pickings for Bowser's trained force. Only their guards could protect them now.

The koopa force appeared to be everywhere at once, striking down the hapless citizens who dared leave the confines of their homes or shops with unmatched accuracy. There was simply no way for Mario to take care of the invading army by himself.

The castle. They had to make it to the castle. It was the most fortified position within the town. If the castle fell, they would have no chance of coordinating a proper counterstroke, assuming it hadn't been captured already.

"Mario," Peach explained, her voice hoarse from yelling, "we have to clear a path to the castle! Without it we have no possibility of gaining the upper hand."

Mario responded with a grunt, and the two set off into the sporadic battle zone. They moved through they alleyways quickly as to keep themselves hidden from enemy sight, though the news of their arrival would no doubt reach the ears of every soldier soon enough as a result of Peach's antics within the Mushroom Road.

Peach knew there was nothing she could do to relieve Toad Town's citizens from the fighting and hated herself all the more for it. Her people were dying as a result of her negligence. They were dying for her, and she couldn't even dare to look them in the eyes in their final moments as the koopa invaders continued their indiscriminate bloodbath.

Mario looked at the ill-fated circumstances with an expression akin to cold fury as they moved through the town's cream-colored roads. His hands were clenched into tight fists, but even he knew he could spare no time for saving the town at the moment.

The toads were making as best a stand as they could despite their inexperience and fright. They fought their oppressors with all their might, using whatever weapons they could salvage to fend them off, but they were outnumbered and outmatched and so fell in droves.

Peach and Mario passed through countless houses and shops along the way to the castle, each with its mushroom-shaped roof intact despite the haphazard display of broken-down bodies and debris closer to the ground. The marauding koopas kept their attention on their quarries, giving them no time to spot the duo run right by them.

Despite the apparent engagement of the enemy forces, Peach knew their trip to the castle would not go unperturbed. They were still traveling through the square, making their way to the small residence quarter known as Little Way. There they could locate a shortcut leading them directly to the castle and arrive with the brunt of the conquering forces still on their heels. Peach only hoped the royal guard still fought on or otherwise their plan would be ruined.

A shrill scream caught her attention despite the constant din of fighting and death. Peach could see moving shadows within a dark alleyway and knew the yell had come from a toad.

Ignoring her best interests, the princess ushered Mario into the dark passage. Though it was a waste of time, she couldn't allow the attack of one of her people to succeed so close to her vicinity without doing something about it.

Despite the stygian aura around the alley, Peach could see clearly what had happened. A koopa had managed to ambush a yellow-spotted female toad that now stood quivering in fright as the koopa advanced, but Mario's arrival had caught its interest and it turned.

The koopa held nothing of the distinguished gait Peach would have suspected was the norm from a member of the Koopa Troop. It instead regarded them with baleful eyes, preparing itself to attack. The koopa's shell was deep amber in color, a shade darker than its skin. Its beak was twisted into a sinister smile.

Mario wasted no chances in his advance despite the closed walls of their engagement area. He knocked the koopa to the ground with a jump, as though he had placed his entire desire of vengeance within that single attack.

And missed as the koopa appeared to disappear before their eyes, becoming opaque as a boo.

Peach could only watch as the never before seen koopa dodged Mario's assault with an ease ill befitting of a creature possessing such a heavy appendage as its shell. Though she prided herself in her knowledge of the Mushroom Kingdom's inhabitants, this adversary came as a complete surprise to her. She rarely got the chance to explore the more secluded places of her kingdom, and could only hope the countless records and bestiaries in the royal library would provide sufficient enough knowledge to eke out a proper understanding.

Her new power was still inaccessible; it would not return itself over time.

Peach sighed at once again being stuck useless.

The toad with the yellow spots on her cap looked at her with frightened eyes, as though Peach was just another member of the invaders who had come to slay her. There was something familiar about her, something about those unsteady eyes that drove Peach's mind into activity.

"Tessa!" She cried, finally recognizing the toad.

Peach made her way through Mario and his combatant, running up to the frightened toad cowering near the alley's wall.

As she approached, Tessa shrank back, her fear becoming primal, almost palpable.

"Tessa!" Peach tried again, keeping her voice as friendly and calm as she could. "It's all right, I won't hurt you."

Something in Peach's voice brought sudden recognition into the yellow-spotted toad's eyes, as if a bolt of memory had just struck her. "Princess?" She gasped in a shaky tone.

Peach hugged the petite woman then, tears almost springing from her eyes at finally meeting someone she recognized. She allowed herself to forget about everything then: the invasion, her self-disappointment, even Mario melded away in a well of relief.

"What happened to you?" Tessa asked, her voice so low Peach could barely hear it.

Unwilling to recount her experiences just yet, Peach replied: "That's too long a story to recount here, sweetie. Thank the stars we arrived in time."

Tessa's eyes glistened with something like dread, and the meaning was not at all lost to Peach.

"Does the castle still hold?" Peach asked slowly, feeling her heart writhe as she awaited the answer.

"I…I don't know." Tessa replied, burying her face into Peach's embrace.

"Be strong, Tessa. Mario and I will take care of everything."

The toad woman had been a merchant since as long as Peach could remember. The two had unexpectedly met each other one day in the castle gardens. Tessa had been a representative of the Merchant's Guild sent to the castle with a proposal for the princess, but had wandered into the gardens by mistake. Peach had mistaken the small girl for one of the workers and had been given a scolding by the fiery young lady as a result. Still, the two had become close friends and the princess would often invite her over to admire the flowers of her castle.

Tessa's only reply was a slow nod.

Both women stiffened as they heard the sound of breaking stone and turned around to watch Mario dusting his hands with an annoyed expression on his face. The koopa had crashed on a wall and now looked to be unconscious, though its form was began to waver until it finally disappeared completely.

"What was that?" The stricken toad asked.

Peach shook her head. "I don't know. But it's over. Please find somewhere safe."

She released the toad from her grip and walked over to Mario before Tessa called out.

"Wait!" The toad explained. "You're Mario, aren't you?" The sound of submission had retreated from her voice, leaving behind only a definite regality that demanded an answer.

Mario nodded affirmatively.

Tessa reached into a pocket and pulled out a small object in the shape of a boot. "Then please take this badge. It will serve you more use than it will me."

Peach had almost forgotten her friend specialized in badges. She wondered if she had any more of them.

"This was my last one." Tessa continued, answering her question. "Those thugs invaded my shop in the dead of night and stole most of my wares. I managed to escape but could only go so far before they caught up with me."

Mario thanked the girl for her generosity and applied the badge to his person. The two of them left they alley and proceeded more careful than before, aware the noise they made would draw attention, though without the body of the dispatched koopa to survey, they would find nothing.

Peach wondered how Bowser had managed to provide his men such strange abilities. That koopa was nothing if not resourceful, and if these new troops could keep themselves hidden, then they could already be too late.

Mario asked her to stop for a moment and rummaged through their pack, locating a jar of Honey Syrup. She watched as Mario removed the lid and drank down its contents, and then Peach felt her hidden reserves of energy return as plentiful and healthy as they were once before. Suddenly she understood: their reserves were shared. Peach recalled tapping into a similar well of energy many times in what seemed like a lifetime ago, energy that had restored itself in much the same way.

Happy with their recuperated strength, the two pressed on with Mario in the lead.

Peach had never been good at fighting, though such had never been required of her. Her areas of expertise were more alongside those of her people, which was all fine and well until the time finally came when she had to make do with her meager combat abilities. Knowing she would be next to useless in an actual battle aside from providing the occasional tidbit of information or using an item from their stores, Peach kept to the back. That way, Mario could do his work unhindered and she could have a bird's-eye view of the action.

Still, she realized part of the reason why her forces were so incompetent was because she wasn't willing to take the time in learning to properly fight. She vowed she would find some way of teaching herself and her people to fend for themselves, if only to keep a tragedy like this invasion from ever occurring again.

Assuming she had the chance.

The Brothers and Sisters were members of the koopa elite, or so Peach recalled. Chuck and Wedge had once been members, proficient in their use of hammers, but now remained only in skill. Perhaps she would promote them from their sickly work and enlist them as commanders of her army. She could almost see the Council gag on her idea and the thought brought her immediate pleasure.

She wondered where those sniveling troublemakers were now. No doubt hiding, ready to take all the glory from the day's victory—or disaster, like condors before a fresh kill.

They would most likely place the blame of the day's events on her, but she had to be prepared. The princess certainly had no intention of getting out of this situation unsullied.

As Peach had originally suspected, many of Bowser's troops were suddenly aware of her presence. None appeared willing to settle things peacefully, and so Mario used his new technique provided by the badge to lay waste to the invading forces. Mario decimated the opposition as easily as a yoshi gulps down fruit, though he still couldn't handle more than three of the strange koopas at once.

They made their way slowly through merchant square, foiling many a koopa's plans, leaving the small district grateful and increasing its citizens' morale. Soon the merchants and their guards were able to mount a suitable offense to drive back the conquering horde out of the district and into open field, where they were pelted with rocks and spears and whatever mystical items the toads could obtain from their stocks.

The duo had replenished their supplies from the shop owners happy to have regained their district and all too eager to provide Mario and Peach sufficient enough provisions to liberate the rest of the town. A slightly bulbous merchant informed them of the situation.

With no walls to protect them, the town gates fell on all sides, allowing the koopas unhampered entryway into every major section. The northern residence district had already fallen, but no word had reached the traders of the situation in Little Way or the other districts. However, they told Peach that the castle still stood under the toad's control and that Silva T. had coordinated a worthwhile effort in keeping the situation under control.

The relief behind the mongers' voices when they learned Mario had once again come to put things right was not lost to Peach. They had truly believed themselves lost, and had the siege continued for a day longer, they possibly would have been. Still, Mario and Peach's late arrival had come at a hefty price: nothing could return the countless dead back to life, and many shop owners were ruined as a result of the invasion. Peach would have to offer some sort of recompense for all the brave people who sacrificed their fortunes—and their lives in keeping Toad Town free of incursion.

Mario and Peach, satisfied with the district's release despite the knowledge that time was of the essence, continued their route to Little Way, stopping only to tell any wayward merchants encountered in their travels of their victory in the square. There were few koopas prowling the lanes and rounds connecting the town, though Peach suspected that had to do with the fact there was no one around to engage. The majority of the force would likely be near the castle, trying their best to demolish the toad resistance and win Bowser the day.

Peach hoped with all her heart Captain Silva knew what she was doing.

Bowser's new troops had Peach worried. They had come as a complete surprise; who knew what else he had in store? Of the goombas they had encountered outside the west gate, she saw no sign, making things all the worse. Those goombas were high-ranking bruisers and had the armor to show their prowess in the craft. She wondered if they had decided to aid in the castle's assault.

Little Way was a situation of homes lying against the backside of a beige wall all together lined in a parabolic shape. The cul-de-sac was filled with the bodies of fallen toads despite the apparent advantage the quarter offered through bottlenecking. Still, Peach possessed no method of calculating the number of koopas slain in the attack as a result of their disappearing corpses. A number of the homes had been broken into, revealing busted windows and damaged entryways. The duo approached the home that looked to be in the best condition: a purple-roofed two-story dwelling residing in the center of the ring-like formation.

"Stop where you are!" A voice yelled from the top of the house. "One more step and you're done for!"

The two of them raised their hands apologetically. "We didn't mean to frighten you." Peach reassured the voice. "Might I know your name?"

"No." The voice grunted. "State your business."

Peach would need to go about the negotiations carefully. She knew nothing of the secret passageway connecting the quarter with her castle other than that it existed, and even that was more the gossip of maids and servants than determined fact.

"We have arrived from merchant square," Peach tried explaining, "with news of its liberation at our hands."

Peach knew the soldier stationed on the roof had no reason to believe her, yet still growled in frustration when he responded: "If all you're here for is to boast, then get lost. I have no idea who you are and don't care to know."

"Do we look like members of the Koopa Troop to you?" Peach snapped, her temper getting the better of her. "What can we do to prove our innocence?" She added in a softer tone.

"I don't know what it is you look like, lady, but it sure isn't pretty." The voice answered after an awkward moment of silence.

_Lady?_ Lady? That just about did it! When she got up there Peach was going to give that man a piece of her mind, and it certainly 'wouldn't be pretty!'

"You have a point though." He sighed. "Keep those hands in the air and sit still for a moment."

Peach complied and waited impatiently. She could hear sounds coming from within the house, and suspected the source of the voice was coming down to inspect them personally. The door opened slowly, nearly removing itself from its hinges, revealing a muscular toad with a blue-spotted cap and holding a large spear gingerly as he walked over to the pair.

Mario hummed in recognition and smiled.

"Hold on a moment." The toad said as approached. "I recognize you from the eastern gate way back when. You're Mario."

Mario nodded vigorously.

"Then that means you must be… My stars, Princess Peach, could it really be you?"

She nodded in turn. "Thankfully it would appear so."

The soldier eased his grip on his weapon and visibly relaxed. "I can't believe it! You two came in the nick of time!"

"Is something the matter?" Peach inquired.

The toad looked around hesitantly a bit before replying: "Not here. Follow me inside."

Peach and Mario followed the bulky defender inside the house. A host of toads regarded them absentmindedly, as if their presence didn't mean much in the face of their current predicament. Peach heard the sound of the door closing.

"Are these the only survivors?" Peach queried.

The toad nodded. "From Little Way, yes. This is all we have left."

"What's your name, soldier?"

"Samwell T., Princess." The toad replied. "Been a city guard for twenty-some years."

"You have accomplished much no doubt, Samwell, judging by the number of your slain in the quarter's heart. I have no doubt you made the enemy pay."

Samwell nodded, though there was no measure of pride when he spoke: "That we did. Felled them by the score. Might've suffered fewer casualties if their bodies didn't keep disappearing, though."

"You did what you could." Peach reassured him.

"Most of the those left are mere civilians who've never held a weapon in their life, but I'm glad you think so, Princess." The toad continued. "But enough about us, Princess. Stars, you look terrible."

"How do you mean?"

One of the toads handed her a small mirror.

She nearly dropped it when she saw upon it her reflection.

Peach now understood what Tessa had meant by her concerned question. It was as if a completely separate person looked back at her through the mirror. Her features were gaunt and deprived. Her once bright yellow hair now flowed in wisps, looking brittle in the sallow light. Her skin was paler than it had any right to be, and her brilliant blue eyes regarded her with a measure of hardness. Once, she thought her eyes resembled meadow streams, but now they looked as glaciers. Peach wasn't aware she could have changed so much in such a short time. Now she understood why very few others had recognized her until now.

Peach closed her eyes and returned the mirror. The guardsman regarded her with an empathetic expression.

"The castle still stands." He informed, trying to change the subject.

"Then we still possess a chance to put this foul plot to rest." Peach replied. "I have heard from the residents of merchant square there is a secret passageway connecting this quarter to the castle."

Excited murmurs rose amongst the survivors. The fact she had mentioned the merchants meant they were still alive, which could only mean she and Mario had managed to free them from their oppressors. Peach was happy to be finally able to bring hope to her people.

"They told you right. We're guarding it."

That seemed too much like a coincidence for her liking. "I did not know you expected my arrival, Samwell."

The toad shrugged. "We didn't, but perhaps any other soldiers coming around these parts might've wanted to make use of it. We figured we might as well keep it safe in case our prayers of assistance were answered."

Mario and Peach both nodded. The declaration had been enough to gain their trust. "By your leave, then."

"Right." He grunted. "Follow me."

The burly guardsman led the pair deeper into the home, though to Peach it looked more like a stronghold. Various items were thrown about messily in the ever-constant search for food and medicine, though there was no doubt a strategic importance to the layout that Peach didn't understand, even if she well suspected Samwell knew what he was doing.

He said nothing as they walked, and Peach was in no mood to begin a conversation, so the group continued their journey in silence.

They finally arrived before a wooden trapdoor. The toad pulled with all his might on the handle, but it refused to budge. Sighing in what Peach figured was relief, the guardsman proceeded to the side of a wall and pulled a lever. The trapdoor was suddenly pulled open with the sound of creaking wood and rolling chains. He stood before the mouth, looking at the bottom of the newly opened area.

"This passage'll lead you straight to the castle." Samwell explained. "Lights down there are artificially kept, so you might have some difficulty seeing things at first. Just stay near the walls and keep your ears open for any strange sounds."

Mario descended down the makeshift ladder and walked around the vicinity for a spell. He motioned for Peach to follow and she did, climbing to the bottom with minimal difficulty.

She looked up at the toad. "Aren't you coming with us?"

"Can't." He said, shaking his head. "You never know if those koopas will launch a surprise attack, and I need to be there with the other survivors just in case. Besides," he added, "someone has to get this thing closed up."

"Understandable." Peach replied. "Where will this take us?"

"Don't know." Samwell grunted. "Never used it in the past. Meant to be only used in emergencies. Only the town guards know about it, really. Makes me wonder how a flabby-tongued merchant got a hold of its existence." He showed them his teeth.

Peach wasn't about to inform the guard where in turn she had gotten the information from. "Anything else we should know?" She asked instead.

"Yeah. You might run into some beasties down there. I don't think they'll take too kindly to being disturbed after all this time in seclusion. You both might want to watch your step."

Peach sighed. She had almost left without being told that important piece of information. How it had taken Samwell this long to recite it was beyond her understanding.

"Very well then. Stars guide your path, Samwell." Peach said.

"And yours, Princess." The toad replied in the customary blessing. "Take care."

With that, the trapdoor was closed once more, leaving Peach feeling like captured fire sprites held within a bottle.

"Let's go, Mario." She declared. "The more we tarry the less chance we'll have of making a difference."

Mario didn't need to be told twice, immediately taking the lead.

Peach followed Samwell's advice and kept her hands close to the walls to better guide herself. The rocky surface was wet and slippery, but she kept a firm grip and waddled slowly through the underbelly of what appeared to be a subterranean passage.

She could feel the sound of dripping water falling from various stalactites hanging from the roof of the cave like resting swoopers. Peach wouldn't be surprised if the animals the formations resembled were close by considering the grizzled toad's warning.

Their passage was lit by wayward podoboos, darting to and fro in a frenzy. Peach had never before encountered such a bizarre event, thinking the fire spirits only resided in active volcanoes or other places where light and fire were plentiful. What they were doing in an underground entryway was anyone's guess.

They continued to caper in a dizzying display, unmindful of the recent intruders as if they didn't even realize they were there. The creatures looked alien to Peach somehow, and she could tell they were definitely of a smaller size than the ones Mario had told her about. They looked like mere embers.

"How do you think they survive in here?" Peach asked Mario in a whisper that still gave way to a hissing echo.

He shrugged, but she could see from his eyes the answer was obvious to him: they don't.

Peach had no time to feel anger for the injustice of what those podoboos were going through. Their sacrifice would no doubt lead to the defeat of Bowser and his invading horde, and so the fire spirits wouldn't die in vain.

And should they survive, the first thing she would do as ruler of the kingdom was return them to a healthier habitat.

The now lit cavern walls were a dull gray-green hue, the exterior filled with jagged edges and handles built from countless years of mineral deposits and running water. Peach realized this cave was likely as ancient as the castle itself, if not older.

Their pace was slow despite the light. Mario was making sure there were no unwanted intruders in their path with Peach making a mental map of the cavern, though the trail was linear enough.

Suddenly, Peach froze as she heard a scuffling sound coming from beneath her. She almost shrieked as she felt the rush of something moving next to her, and clung to Mario for support.

Mario pointed with a gloved finger the source of the commotion.

Scutlets were converging and stampeding in the direction the duo had come.

Thousands of them.

It looked as though entire intrusions of the insects were amassing with a singular purpose in mind.

Mario gently pressed Peach to the wall and did the same for himself. The two of them watched and waited for the crazed flight to cease.

"It looks almost as if they were running from something." Peach pointed out. "And I'd sooner not figure out what."

There were so many of them. Peach had no idea her town was home to such a wide number of the flightless bugs. It was not a heartening thought.

Once Mario was sure they were gone, the group continued more cautious than ever.

Through their voyage, Peach felt a sense of lassitude come to her, as though every step she took was draining more of her energy, until she noticed they were now traveling in an ascending inclination. Peach felt giddy with relief. No doubt they were almost at the castle, and she felt her body gain energy like a hyper goomba in its berserker state.

The flame spirits frolicking above reminded her of her singed hand from their contact earlier in the day. She slowly considered healing it with her newfound abilities, but decided it was a waste of her energy. It was beginning to sting, but she would survive.

The creatures suddenly flew into tumult like a group of enraged fighter flies. Before Peach could wonder why, she spotted a large figure making its way to the duo.

Peach then learned what it was the scutlets were running from.

The largest scutlet she had ever seen stood before them. It regarded Mario with large beady eyes and darted its tongue out to test the air like a cobrat, in a strange gesture. The creature's blue body was just as flat as its smaller brethren, but its length still intimidated her.

Mario prepared to launch himself at the creature, his body rebounding after his powerful leap. The scutlet yowled and attempted to snare Mario with its large tongue. Peach gasped as the flexible appendage snared Mario with perfect precision and pulled itself back. Mario wailed as he was brought inside the insect's mouth.

Seconds felt like hours as Peach watched in horror the creature begin to struggle to contain Mario inside its body. The plumber appeared to be putting up quite a fight, and was eventually expelled as a result of his efforts. He appeared to be covered in a viscous yellow liquid and was reeling from exhaustion.

Peach quickly opened herself to the hidden power she now wielded and called upon her need to restore Mario's condition. The mustached man was bathed in a golden glow and gasped in awe as the substance was removed from his body by the healing light. The brightness soon dissipated like falling stardust, and Mario gave Peach a grateful look.

She struggled with the effort of keeping herself up, but allowed herself to smile at Mario's gesture. They were each playing their part in this battle, and that made Peach feel joyful once again.

The creature was still concerned only with Mario, appearing to take his sudden recovery with indifference. Mario resumed his assault, taking care to watch for his assailant's tongue this time. He landed a well-executed jump in the creature's elongated center.

The giant scutlet appeared to falter in pain as it succumbed to Mario's attack, though the plumber didn't let down his guard.

The large insect then began to keen so loud both Mario and Peach had to cover their ears from the assault. Yet once the high-pitched sound abated, neither of the two had suffered any damage.

Taking the noise for a battle cry, Mario decided to strike again. The creature was too large and slow to dodge, and so took the blow head-on.

Still, Peach noted it didn't seem to be weakening. No longer using the tongue approach, it reared its front upward and slammed it down to the ground, squishing Mario underneath. The man appeared to be attempting to wrestle his way out from under the tick-like creature as the two of them struggled for supremacy.

Peach launched a large stone from the cave floor at the scutlet, causing it to lose its focus and allow Mario to pry himself from under it.

Peach suddenly turned as she heard the sound of movement behind her. She ducked instinctively and felt a whirl of air pass over her to crash into a wall and cease moving.

"It's calling the other scutlets to attack!" Peach warned, knowing Mario was too busy engaged with the larger bug to notice.

But then Peach heard something else: the sound of flapping wings. She watched as a purple swooper descended from the roof to feed on the dead scutlet.

Then, an idea hit her.

"Mario, if that thing starts making noise again, hit it as hard as you can!"

The plumber quickly turned around to give her a quizzical glance, but Peach wasn't willing to explain herself lest he lose his concentration.

The battle continued for some time with neither side gaining any immediate advantage. Peach stood in the sidelines, tossing Mario the miraculous mushrooms of her kingdom or giving advice whenever she thought of something.

Then, the creature pushed Mario away with a tackle and began its calling once more.

Peach fought the urge to box her ears again and could see Mario doing the same. As she had advised, Mario somersaulted through the air using the power held within his badge, and slammed his feet hard on the scutlet.

The keening rose to an almost unbearable pitch. The pair now covered their ears to keep them from being damaged.

But throughout the clamor, Peach smiled as she saw countless shadows plunge down on the screeching scutlet.

A colony of swoopers had woken up through the irregular sound and now surrounded its source, attacking it until there was nothing left.

Mario walked over to Peach and smiled, saying nothing due to the all-encompassing sound of the bats feeding. They watched the ritual with no amount of interest, and waited for the swoopers to finish their meal. Once there were but a dozen of them remaining, Mario closed in to observe the dregs of the creature that had given them so much trouble. He sounded surprised when his gaze landed on a shiny object on the ground.

A rogue swooper took its chance before Mario could, grabbing the object with its claws and chattering tauntingly.

Mario grunted in annoyance and swatted at the thief, managing to pull the small item from its grasp.

The swooper shrieked in outrage and fled.

Mario and Peach were then completely alone.

"What did you find?" Peach inquired, feeling a little better.

Mario told her he had found a badge within the remains of the scutlet. The news was shocking, as Peach had no idea how a toad-made object had landed in such an odd place, but its survival spoke much about its craftsmanship. The badge was circular in shape, a red background overlaying a yellow sun. Peach watched Mario, with a measure of disgust, pin the badge to his shirt.

"'Close Call' indeed." Peach added with a weak grin.

The rest of their passage through the hidden cave proved much more eventful now that the once-resting swoopers had awoken, though there were some who had gone back to sleep right after eating. Mario had mistakenly managed to throw a rock at one such creature, and it flew into a frenzy, stopping its assault on Mario only when it noticed a nearby scutlet. The swooper had then consumed it and went back to sleep.

The two species within the cave seemed to be constant enemies, with the fire spirits acting as arbitrators in the strange struggle for supremacy. That giant scutlet had no doubt caused the swoopers trouble in the past, but Peach hoped they hadn't upset the balance by defeating it.

Their battles were only one-sided when the scutlets proved too weak to resist the bats. Peach hadn't seen what the bugs could do when fully healthy first-hand, but a scutlet wishing to settle its disputes peacefully even when in poor condition was difficult to find.

Peach could hear Mario's labored breathing as they walked. The fight had taken a lot out of him, but the air had grown staler through this leg of their trek. Peach was beginning to encounter difficulty breathing as well.

Reminding her all-too-easily that time was the most important factor in play.

As they neared what she thought to be a dead end, Peach's felt herself wondering where it was they would end up in the castle. If her palace was already filled to the brim with guards, they could see her and Mario as intruders and finish them before they had a chance to explain themselves. Samwell had been unable to provide such information, though perhaps he could have sent a messenger to tell Silva of their arrival? Unlikely, considering the rest of the town was no doubt teeming with throngs of Bowser's forces ready to finish off any stragglers they encountered.

Peach could only hope for the best.

Mario stopped and looked around the area, noticing the only direction they could go was back where they came.

"This seems to be it." Peach said as she stepped next to him.

The physical impasse corresponded to a series of boulders blocking what appeared to be a narrow passageway. Mario was pressing his hand to a stone, trying to feel for a something that could grant them access through it. The large stones looked too big to carry even with Mario's esteemed strength.

"It's no use." Peach sighed. "We can't simply break it."

The two of them retraced their steps, looking for any sort of clues that might help them solve their conundrum. The podoboos continued drifting throughout the closed quarters of the cave, bringing the gift of light with their arrival.

Peach continued looking for anything suspicious in the walls while Mario remained fixated on the boulder, likely trying to discover a means of demolishing it. _He certainly has a one-track mind._ Peach noted.

She once again felt distraught for having decided not to bring Mario's hammer with her. With his signature mallet in tow, there was no doubt in her mind he would have been able to destroy the rocks blocking their path with a single swing. If only she hadn't been so careless!

Though not even she could have predicted their turn of events.

Her hands stopped searching once she felt a piece of the now-solid wall around her come loose. In the darkness, she waited for a fire spirit to wander by her and then regarded the stone wall once more, noting a subtle difference in the section where the stone had come away.

"Mario," She called, "I think I found something."

She waited for Mario to arrive before revealing her idea. "This wall isn't built from mineral deposits." She explained. "It feels as crude stone, blocks of them. Mario, this wall is entirely made out of bricks."

Mario made an astonished noise, slowly beginning to realize the importance of her point.

"This particular piece here," she said as she pressed a finger to the stone, "looks as though it can be driven out of the wall through a little force."

Mario nodded and motioned for her to step back. She watched as Mario pulled on the loose block with both hands, grunting with the effort.

The stone came off with a pop of air and the shifting of gravel.

"Look," Peach exclaimed, "there's air on the other side. I think this is it!"

Mario continued examining the blocks of mortar, looking for another loose piece to pry out.

Peach watched his struggles with a nonchalant expression; fully aware they would soon encounter the rest of her royal guard and Bowser along with them.

_And I will make him pay._ She swore, fully intending to keep her promise.

Once Mario had made a sufficiently sized hole for the two of them to enter, Peach bade him stop. He entered the makeshift opening and held out his hand for Peach. Ignoring it, she stepped inside with minimal difficulty.

_ Still believes me weak, does he? I'll show him and all who follow his example!_

"Perhaps you should return these blocks to their original layout." Peach told him. "We wouldn't want any stray swoopers or the like loose, or for anyone to discover this secret entrance for that matter."

Mario begrudgingly agreed, setting to the task. Peach waited for Mario to finish before proceeding down the path set before them.

With no podoboos to light their way, the duo continued in perpetual darkness. They soon reached a stairway and climbed the flight with aching hearts expecting anything.

They stood before a large wooden door. Sharing a glance, Mario placed his hand on the knob and twisted it, pushing the door outward.

Mario and Peach stood in the castle library, their vision obstructed by countless towering stands and shelves containing books. Each tome was visibly distinct in color and size, and they were organized in a dizzying array.

"I can't believe it." Peach gasped. "All this time I thought old legers and musty misprinted books were stored behind that door." Mario also looked surprised from the discovery.

"I have a feeling the captain will be amassing her troops in the courtyard." Peach said. "We should make meeting with them our first order of business."

Mario closed the door and began wading through the maze of books in near obscurity. The echoes of their footsteps through the spacious room told them there was no one else inside the library, assuaging Peach's earlier fears.

As they walked, Peach suddenly remembered something. "Mario," she motioned, "perhaps we might postpone our meeting with the captain for just one moment. The storage room could contain some provisions we and the captain could no doubt make use of."

Peach could see the hesitation in his eyes and more or less shared his feelings. They would be traveling through almost unknown territory. Neither of them even knew if the good captain was keeping the koopa invaders out, or being pushed inside by the same force instead. Given the properties of Bowser's new army, he could have them take to the shadows and overtake the castle from within. Even catching sight of one could prove disastrous for the duo, not to mention an entire squad.

Still, if Peach's trepidations were misplaced, then their plan could provide immense benefits to the guards stationed in the courtyard, assuming they hadn't recuperated the supplies themselves already.

Yet despite the uneasy decision, she caught Mario's slow nod.

"Right then," she agreed, "would you care to replenish yourself before we set off?"

Not waiting for Mario's answer, she opened her bag and removed a mushroom and a jar of honey syrup. Taking the latter for herself, Peach handed Mario the mushroom and drank down the syrup in a single swig. Mario had finished his choice before she had hers and stood waiting as she consumed the last of the sticky sweet substance.

Their supply of items was dangerously low, which provided another reason for going to the storeroom.

The trip into the storeroom proved uneventful much to their relief, and they found its coffers filled with various useful items. Peach obtained as many as the bag could hold and the two left the storage facility to rendezvous with the captain of the guard in the courtyard.

The castle was completely silent. Not a soul traveled through its halls save for Mario and Peach. Not even the sound of fighting could be heard from anywhere, inside or out.

The courtyard was at the center of the castle and was the convergence point of its four main wings. It was only suspicion that led to the notion that her royal guard was stationed there, but it was what Peach would have done in her captain's position.

Not that her intuition in such matters amounted for much.

They were getting closer. They only needed to pass through a few extra rooms and hallways and they would arrive at the castle's exterior.

Then, they spotted something just as they noticed the door leading out of the castle.

The shadow koopa watched them with his beak hanging open. No one was making a move.

Until the koopa bolted straight out the door leading to the courtyard with Mario and Peach at its heels.

They passed through it.

And arrived to a scene of battle on all sides.

Peach watched in horror as an armed toad skewered the fleeing koopa with his spear, breaking the weapon. Similar scenes were occurring all throughout the courtyard, the stones and grass slick with blood as a result.

The toads appeared to be pushing the incoming koopa forces back, fighting with a strength of will Peach would have never thought possible from the peace mongering mushroom people.

She heard the sounds of screaming and the wallowing of pain, all mixed in with the bellowing of orders coming from a small toad woman near the northern entrance. Her armor appeared to be broken and damaged throughout, but she was still miraculously alive and standing as though she suffered nary a scratch.

Mario and Peach went to work, settling to combat the koopa infestation using the best of their abilities. The toads were diligent enough not to mistake them for some of Bowser's henchmen and instead left them alone.

A possible explanation was Mario himself. He was a whirling storm of mayhem, handling the invading army as easily as an entire battalion of toads. He attacked each foe with perfect precision, launching himself from the occupied koopas to other targets in mere moments.

He made it all seem so easy.

The toads kept their distance, and save for the occasional glare from Silva T., Mario sped through his task unbothered.

"It's about time you both showed up." Silva huffed, walking towards Peach. "Princess." She added respectfully, cringing at having been so rude to the Mushroom Kingdom's ruler.

All this without keeping her eyes from the battle and lunging at any koopas who thought to flee from her grasp.

"We heard the terror in their voices," the captain explained as she pushed back a koopa too close for comfort for emphasis, "we knew something good had happened—for us, anyway."

Having difficulty focusing her attention on Mario, Silva and the battle all at once, Peach grunted her reply. Despite the noise, the toad received her signal.

From the corner of her eye, Peach spotted her retainer Toad in the fray. Forgoing the use of weapons, her friend assaulted the koopas with a barrage of jumps, though she knew his advantage dealt with his strength and not his jumping prowess. Still, he was a force to be reckoned with.

"Captain," Peach called out over the clamor, "where are Toadsworth and the Council?"

"Safe!" Peach heard Silva yell.

Little by little, the fighting in the courtyard was beginning to subside as her royal guard and Mario felled the opposition. Peach noticed a couple of the koopas fleeing into the castle, but without a means of attacking she was powerless to stop them. She could see the mass of Bowser's forces recoil and break like waves over a large jagged stone spire. Peach slowly wondered where here guards had gotten the courage to fight back so fiercely.

Until suddenly, silence dominated the wide-open area.

Peach blinked as she slowly realized what happened.

They had won.

The princess saw the toad survivors fill their lungs with air and shake their heads violently, as if they had just woken up from a dream. Captain Silva and her lieutenant Toad appeared to be the only two members of the mushroom species assessing their damage and checking on the wounded.

"Lieutenant," the captain commanded, "I want you to take a squad of the best-fit survivors and oust any stragglers encountered within the castle. Leave none alive."

Her friend didn't say a word and instead went to amass his unit with only the sharp salute he gave as evidence he had heard the command. He then took his ragtag army through the western entrance and disappeared through its shadowy halls in a staccato of pounding boots.

Peach watched him leave feeling somber. She hoped her friend would be all right.

"As for the rest of you," Silva continued, turning her head to stare back at the survivors, "excellent work. The castle remains ours."

Peach heard the sound of cheering coming from the wounded and those reviewing the damage, though they felt half-hearted to her ears.

Peach awaited Mario's return to her side before speaking: "Captain, I request a report."

The hardy toad nodded. "Certainly Princess. The town's attack came several days after your disappearance—"

"Several _days_?" Peach interjected in shock. "How long has it been?"

Peach could hear the woman clenching her teeth. She never did like interruptions. "A week, Princess."

It had been an entire week since the moment they had been taken by that strange door down at the sewers. That brought forth very unfortunate implications. Did her guard know where or what had happened? Did they suspect anything? Peach could read nothing from Silva's eyes, and if by any chance she did have suspicions, she wouldn't raise them in public.

Though that still meant the Council had taken rule for that time. Even Mario had gone missing: the Mushroom Kingdom's only defense against invasion. No doubt they never expected her to return.

But had she spent a week in Bowser's custody, or had it been the crash that had sapped her of her strength for so long? Could that even be possible?

So many questions, and yet there was absolutely no way she could answer any one of them.

"As I was saying," Silva continued, "the attacks came in the middle of the night with most of the town within the confines of their homes. These shadow-creatures took us by complete surprise, slaying many of the guard without us even knowing about it. It was then—"

"Commander!" A masculine voice yelled from across the courtyard. "One of their soldiers left something behind!"

The captain growled, unable to keep her patience now while addressing a subordinate. The lanky toad was sprinting to their location with Mario staring at the wrapped-up object like a fascinated child would a curious sight.

Silva glared daggers at the guard. "Are you stupid as well as inconsiderate? You would bring a package from a fallen enemy soldier containing stars-know-what before the princess? What if there was a bomb inside those covers?"

The toad blanched at that. "Excuse me, sir. The battle hasn't got me thinking straight, y'see…"

The captain nodded. "Then get your bearings together and put that thing somewhere safe, preferably away from me—"

"A moment, captain." Peach interrupted once more. Silva looked about ready to scream in frustration, but Peach had already turned her attention to the guard carrying the package."

"Let's see what's inside that, soldier." Peach said.

"Princess?" Silva croaked. "It could be anything! You could be falling into a trap! I implore you reconsider."

"That may well be, captain," Peach replied, "but this could very well contain valuable information about our adversary. Or it could perhaps be a relic from the castle, stolen for some unknown scheme."

Peach could see her captain struggle with the decision. She threw Mario a glance and saw that he felt as Peach did.

She motioned the toad over and began unwrapping the white covers that cloaked a rectangular object. Once she threw them to the ground, she gasped.

The object the toad guard held on to was the book she had been given as a gift on Tribute Day.

The koopas had been out to steal that book. Peach wondered where they had found it, or if it was mere happenstance that caused them to have stolen the book. Safe to say she couldn't allow the toads to learn of its existence now.

The captain noted Peach's surprise, taking it for recognition. "I've never seen the likes of it before," she mused, "though you appear to recognize it, Princess. Is it yours?"

"Yes," she replied, "and I would like it back."

The toad extended his hands outward, causing Mario to take the book in his arms.

As the toad let go, the heavy object slipped from Mario's grasp.

And fell.

Peach's eyes widened in shock.

The book landed lying open, pressed in some unknown page, but before Peach could utter a word or quickly bend to pick it up, she felt a strange sensation seep into her very bones. It felt as though she was plunged in a lake of ice-cold water.

She felt the world around her darken, as though the book was absorbing all the light in the open room. The captain and her guards noticed it too, coming closer to investigate the strange device.

Then the book appeared to explode in a whirlwind of pages cycling its vicinity like flotsam in a tornado. Then the pages began to coalesce, coming together in a pool of shadow so dark Peach thought she had gone blind from viewing it.

The puddle of apparent darkness rippled and a burst of the dark energy splashed outward, veering into something.

Taking the shape of an abomination.

Giving no chance for a reaction, the creature spread one of its limbs into a swipe, hitting Silva T. and her companion and sending them flying to hit the castle's wall. They landed with a loud splatter and rolled to the ground, perfectly still.

But the creature didn't relent, sending another arm to cleave through the display of wounded guardsmen. They stiffened as they were struck, but lacked even the energy to shout as they died.

The monster appeared in a likeness Peach had never encountered. It was nothing more than an array of shadowy appendages all connected to a singular base. The creature had neither visible head nor eyes with which it could see; yet it had shamelessly killed the guards without difficulty.

Mario sprang into action, delivering a series of jumps to one of the apparition's lowered extremities. He appeared to sink into the creature at the contact, but somehow managed to rid himself from inside the shady form.

Peach watched the thing sway back and forth. It occurred to her then that the motion looked slightly familiar.

She thought to pull back in order to escape the monster's reach and attention. If she were caught by one of its blows she would likely not survive. She doubted even Mario stood much of a chance against one of those savage attacks.

She watched in horror as the abomination prepared one of its limbs for another assault. It launched itself at Mario, and while he made a valiant effort of evasion, he was too slow. The thing struck him.

But instead of sending him skyward, it went right through him and perused Peach.

She shrieked as the energy went all the way through her, sending her to her knees. She cried from the pain. It was a sensation she had never felt before, a level of torment that drove her to the very brink of sanity. She felt as though she was being torn apart. Even her screams eluded her consciousness as she wallowed in the immeasurable pain coursing through her.

After what felt like an eternity, the pain subsided, leaving Peach feeling like heaving. She was suddenly glad she hadn't had anything to eat the entire day aside from the syrup, or otherwise she might have done just that.

Mario appeared to be struggling to rise. He had fallen from his high jump onto some grass, leaving Peach feeling somewhat grateful. She prepared to channel forth her power once more in an attempt to heal her friend.

She watched him slowly stand without her help, but she sent her healing abilities in his direction nonetheless. She knew she had to recover her wounds as well. If she succumbed to the same amount of pain as before it would be the end of her.

Another shadowy limb was preparing itself to strike. It pulled itself back and sprang itself in Mario's direction. Peach rapidly moved to the side to evade the attack, and she watched Mario move as well.

Then Peach realized what the plumber had done. Mario stood behind a pillar of white stone. There were countless of the monuments decorating the castle's inner courtyard. They were priceless, but so was he, and much more important besides.

Following suit, she hid behind a different column far enough from Mario to avoid any chance of drawing the monster's attention while still being able to see what was going on.

The arm cut straight through the clear rock, severing the large foundation and causing it to collapse. The blow was deadened, however, leaving Mario the only difficulty of dodging the falling rubble, which was done with relative ease.

Peach could see the monster's other arms were dormant, dragging themselves across the ground in an effort to take to the air.

Mario hopped on the broken column and leaped. He bounced off two arms and pounded the mismatched limb that had tried to strike him down just moments before. It shook in what might have been pain despite not making a sound, but at least it now responded somehow to Mario's actions.

The sly mustached man landed behind the behemoth, taking cover near another pristine pillar. The creature turned around to face him, its arms wringing in the air in anticipation for their next assault.

The fiend was gargantuan. Reaching the top of the courtyard's highest walls, it could easily demolish the entire castle if left to its own devices.

Peach couldn't allow that to happen.

She quickly reached into her bag and pulled out a small closed sack. Pulling at the strings, she opened it and drew out a handful of glittery shards. They glowed in the evening's rays like quicksilver. With a grunt, she tossed the substance to the sky.

The motes took flight and rode the winds lazily, as if they were swimming in honey. Still, they eventually increased their pace and burrowed themselves inside the creature's shadowy surface. The dust began to glow white, and tendrils of smoke could be seen emanating from the monster. Then it was ravaged with explosions of starlight, as though the sparkly particles found fuel within the darkness and took flame.

The brightness from the explosion caused Peach to squint her eyes, but she could make out a faint red blur darting through the courtyard. Mario continued pummeling the creature, taking its confusion to his advantage. The monster staggered and moved back.

It was when the light finally left that Peach noticed the thing had lost two of its arms.

The stardust Peach had scavenged from the castle storeroom had proven its usefulness, though the creature was far from dead. One of its previously limp limbs instantly sprung itself to life, colliding with Mario in a spray of darkness. Once again, the overalls-clad man yowled in pain and fell to the floor.

She watched him land with a roll and could see the weakness evident in his eyes. Peach's abilities hadn't been enough; Mario hadn't been restored to full strength, and it showed. He was panting heavily, looking about ready to fall over from exhaustion.

Mario was all too weak to notice the creature's other arm heading straight for him.

"Mario!" Peach screamed. "No!"

But it was too late. The appendage was cutting the air at impossible speeds. There was no way the man would be able to dodge the attack in time.

And should it land, he would be done for.

Peach's wail went unanswered. The arm went straight through Mario once again.

But Mario was still standing when Peach opened her eyes.

Heart swelling for relief, Peach withdrew a mushroom and tossed it to the air in Mario's direction.

The fortunate plumber smiled and spotted the hurled object. Catching it, he stuffed the item into his mouth and chewed sparingly.

The restorative properties of the mystical item took effect. Mario recovered before her eyes.

Whatever qualities those fungi contained were more powerful than Peach's healing abilities. She decided she would leave their stock to Mario and instead use the powers on herself.

The lightheadedness that came from her techniques were beginning to become a triviality with their constant use, though Peach had never attempted to strain herself by using them subsequently.

Still, she opened herself to them and surveyed her body for the source of power. The process of finally mastering the spring of energy was like a flower budding, which was where the power associated with the abilities had received its name. That, and the withering properties it invoked when used.

Peach gasped at the sensation. She had never before conducted her abilities on herself, as was surprised by the outward appearance of her feelings. It was as though her very wish was coming true before her eyes. She could feel her desire taking shape within her, and convert itself into the healing that promoted health and her need both.

The trick left her defenseless and unable to respond to Mario or the monster's assault, but there was nothing she could do about that.

Mario continued his barrage of attacks, finishing off one more arm. Peach saw the last limb holding itself near the creature's core, which now began to glow a bright red. It looked as if the appendage was protecting it somehow.

Peach offered no advice, knowing Mario understood his goal perfectly. He proceeded to destroy the final limb in a show of shadows and began to pummel the creature's base. She was unable to give out any help in the first place, feeling dozy from using her powers.

Through blurred vision, Peach could tell the once giant was now nothing more than a shriveling ball of darkness equal in diameter to her height. Mario prepared himself to unleash a powerful jumping maneuver, but lost his balance once he realized their shared stores of energy were completely depleted and barely managed to reform his attempt into a regular jump.

The sphere appeared unfazed. Mario was preparing himself to launch another jump.

When a shadowy arm emerged from the monster's center and plunged itself straight through Mario.

Mario was sent backwards by the sheer release of pent up energy, saving him from the sinister forces the monster's attacks contained. Still, he landed on the floor with a grunt and faced difficulty in getting up.

Peach tossed him another mushroom while she instead took another container of syrup and drank it down to the dregs. The cloying sweetness of the nectar as well as her dizziness was making her feel sick, but she stood her ground, watching Mario once again return to health.

The day's events were once again taking their toll on him. His gait was no longer sure; his steps exemplified his fatigue. He would need to finish the battle soon or risk losing it due to a careless mistake.

But the creature wasn't willing to provide him the chance. The pulsing glow at its center ceased, and Peach noticed the regrouped limb increase in power. The joint shot out again, aiming at Mario.

The creature's limits weren't classified by draining effects of overwork. It simply always acted to the best of its abilities.

This time, Mario was ready. He launched himself to the side behind a pillar, barely managing to avoid the monster's sudden strike. The column toppled as it absorbed the majority of the attack and fell as Mario jumped out of the way.

To Peach's surprise, a second limb had grown from the shadow's center. At this point, the creature would regenerate itself completely before Mario could defeat properly.

He was wasting time running to the next undamaged structure of stone. Peach withdrew another pouch of stardust and sent it to the air. It collided with the monster in glowing sprays, causing similar effects to Peach's first attempt with the powder. This time only the newly grown limb was destroyed while the other appeared untouched.

Peach could see that Mario wasn't able to handle the fighting anymore. Though the mushrooms she provided him worked well enough on any external damage, they couldn't refill his energy. He looked unable to proceed, as though even he had given up even trying.

It wasn't possible. This strange creature had managed to outlast Mario. His recent lapse in training was finally taking effect.

And it would be the death of him.

Peach saw another limb regrow itself and flail about in quiet promise.

She began running as fast as her feet would take her to Mario's position. She could see him visibly wheezing even as he looked at her with eyes both determined to win and filled with the knowledge explaining that was impossible.

She continued her chase, her own labored breathing rising in unison with Mario's own.

The behemoth had sprouted a third appendage.

Mario's face twisted in terror as he realized what Peach was doing. He shook his head weakly even as she reached him, clinging to the only notion that kept him feeling alive. His head bobbled back and forth autonomously.

But it was no use. Peach had made her decision.

Peach realized the creature's final arm had grown. It faced them fully renewed, whilst they could barely stand.

Peach watched as her end pulled back, bringing all four arms into one final assault.

She had only one regret: this was all her fault.

Her fault. No one else's.

She awaited the final stir of ominous wind signaling the creature's attack, that searing of the soul that followed after the strike.

It never came.

The ground shook with sudden ferocity, and Peach heard a muffled roar, as though from somewhere far away. It took Peach a moment to realize that sound had come from the creature. She watched it die in a swath of flames. The limbs twisted and broke apart into rolling mists of darkness, while the core contracted into a tight orb before it finally disappeared, the shadows coming together in the shape of a book.

The monster had died.

Only to reveal a different one standing in its wake.

Bowser stood watching her with his mouth agape. He blinked twice in disbelief before yelling out her name and lumbering towards her. His voice had sounded strange to her ears, laced with an emotion Peach couldn't readily identify.

She wanted him to disappear, to go away forever. He was the cause behind all this. He had betrayed the Mushroom Kingdom with his lies. Worse yet, he had betrayed her.

"Stay back!" Peach spat. "I don't want you anywhere near me!"

Something in her voice forced him to a stop.

"Listen to me!" Bowser yelled back. "You need help!"

She felt herself quivering with anger. Bowser had been at fault for all her recent misfortunes, and now he had the audacity to claim she was in need of assistance? "I would sooner die than accept help from the likes of you, Bowser Koopa. After what you've done, I want never to see your face again!"

Bowser looked dumbfounded. He had never heard her sound so reassured, so distasteful of him. But she hated him. She wanted to see him pay for his crimes. She wanted to see him suffer then same way he made her endure his relentless kidnappings, year after year. She was about to tell him as much before a voice stopped her in her tracks.

"It would appear to me Peach is somewhat confused by her actions." Came the haughty voice of Isadora, "Though I certainly would be more than happy to recount your crimes to this kingdom, dear."

Peach's eyes almost popped out of her sockets at the Council leader's claims. She watched the well-dressed toad appear from one of the entrances along with a contingent of guards and the other members of the Council, each with their own distinct cap designs and formations.

"You would dare accuse me of treason?" Peach whispered, the brunt of her threat hidden beneath her meager show of words. Isadora's claims had broken whatever piece of her remained; she had addressed her by her name in public. That alone would see her temporarily revoked of her power.

Mario was eyeing the event with bleary eyes. Peach noticed Bowser was looking straight at him, his expression deadpan, as though nothing else mattered in the world now.

"You are mistaken if you believe yourself innocent." the councilman Wade said. He handled his green-spotted cap with twitching fingers, though his face was filled with ire.

All their faces were, for that matter.

"Explain yourselves." Peach demanded. "This instant."

"You were always such a petulant child." Isadora said. "Pampered beyond belief, with such a profound innocence hanging about you like a cloud—one that has blinded you even to this day. I must inform you however, you are no longer in any positions to make demands of us."

"Do you even understand what you're saying?" The princess asked. "I am Princess of—"

"Where's your crown then, 'Princess?'" A council member by the name of Bree asked, her face contorted in a hateful jeer. She was the youngest member of the Council and was thus prone to showing her emotions too strongly. Even Isadora appeared to sigh in disgust at the question, though she awaited an answer all the same.

"I misplaced it." Peach replied, hoping the half-lie would keep the Council sated. "Nonetheless, a crown does not make a ruler." Peach added.

"You're right," Bree admitted, "it doesn't. But you have lost it nonetheless, likely as a result of your antics in once again ignoring our best interests and instead choosing to follow your own wishes."

There was no way Peach could deny the point. She had expected as much a scolding from the Council during her return, but their insolence was proving intolerable.

"You have truly crossed the line now, Peach." Earnest said. His dark moustache shook as he spoke, looking like an enraged wiggler. "Not only have you chosen to withhold valuable information from us, but you continue to assume yourself roles unbefitting of your stature. You have a lot to answer for."

"And yet I'm not the one talking wind I can't verify!" Peach snapped, no longer caring for her impudent behavior.

"Is that so?" Earnest wondered aloud nonchalantly. "What of the secrets held within that book at your feet? You have deliberately kept us from such information, no doubt never planning to reveal what it was you uncovered."

"It isn't my responsibility to provide you knowledge of every gift I receive, Earnest." Peach said in rebuttal. "I am not your pet to be called on a whim."

"In that," Isadora interjected, "I'm afraid we all disagree. What we discovered in that book could have prevented this tragedy from ever occurring, and is thus of national importance. Furthermore, you did not simply create this Council to act as regent in times of crisis, you made us to aid you in your own reign, a rule you have a habit of ignoring."

Peach had no excuse. The Council's words were true. But did that all of a sudden make her a bad ruler?

"You are to blame for all of this." Another member by the name of Sonia added as though Peach wasn't aware of the fact already. "You have kept us out of every scheme you've produced, and now the entire kingdom pays the price."

They had discovered the history mentioned in the book. Peach could see it in their hateful glares, though they were wise enough not to speak the information aloud for all the toads in the vicinity to hear.

That wasn't her fault. She was planning on bringing the knowledge to the Council eventually. All she needed to do was think about it some more. They would have been the first to learn of the Mushroom Kingdom's ancient past.

So then why had she hesitated?

Peach could feel a stream of sweat running down her back. Mario was in awe of the situation, trading glances between her and the Council as if not truly understanding which was in the right.

"You left us to fend for ourselves." Sonia said. "You chose to disappear along with Mario no doubt, without even so much as a word. The kingdom was in _chaos_. What did you believe yourself to be doing?"

The question was posed in such a manner that radiated complete bewilderment, as though there was no possible explanation she could have given to quench the Council's justifications. Peach suddenly felt very alone.

"I…" She managed to say, though her voice was a croak. "I thought to do what was best for my kingdom."

"Fool girl, this isn't _your_ kingdom! It does not belong to you in any way, and if you truly had the best in mind for it, you would realize your work belongs with us, and not in the field where you are liable to be harmed or worse!"

The accusations stung more than Peach would have realized. She felt a flush creep to her cheeks. The Council took the notion of weakness like a field of piranha plants to their intimidated prey.

Cast, a councilman known for his constant request for a more efficient military took the lead: "Had you only listened to me when I informed you day after day the inadequacy of our defenses. Yet like everything else we've promoted, you shot the suggestion down claiming it was 'too unorthodox' or 'unbefitting of proper progress.' What now, Peach? Would you still claim your naïve beliefs hold water after this situation?"

Peach's answer was a whispered no.

Isadora began to speak even before Peach had finished her reply: "Explain to us then how this mess came to be." She motioned with her hand at the mass of dead toad guardsmen littered throughout the courtyard.

"Mario and I had just arrived only to find a battle going about in the courtyard. We encountered a koopa—"

Bowser picked the worst opportunity to speak: "Hold on just a minute, Princess. Don't you dare besmirch our good name by calling those phony excuses for fighters koopas." He interjected in a gruff tone. "I had only just arrived here myself—"

"Liar!" Peach spat, pointing an accusing finger at him. "This was your doing! All of it!" She could say little more without giving away her prior whereabouts to the Council, or worse yet her alliance with the Koopa King. That information would make the situation much worse than it was already, and that was saying something.

"You wound me, Princess." Bowser sneered. " I had seen your precious town in disarray days ago. I event sent a preliminary squad of soldiers commanded by General Jones to make sure everything was all right. It turns out he and his forces were obliterated right outside the gates as a result of some freak fire accident."

He was lying. Peach was sure of it. He had engineered the crash that had caused them to arrive to the town's defense so late. The shadow soldiers were his doing. They had to be. He was saving face, making himself look the hero in front of the Council in order to gain some sort of reward. He had chosen this very moment to arrive knowing she would be at her weakest.

She hated him. Bowser had done some extremely horrid things in the past, but he had never attempted to put her in harm's way. It appeared he was tired of playing games, which allowed Peach to see him for what he really was: a misbegotten brute.

She wished he would disappear. She wanted him gone. She wanted to never see his face again.

Worse yet, it appeared the Council believed him over her.

"We too caught wind of your destroyed army." Isadora replied, the only toad in the room capable of speaking directly to the Koopa King.

"You would take the word of this criminal over mine?" Peach asked, outraged. She raised her hands to the air in exasperation.

Shocked gasps were heard from every member of the Council. Even Bowser stared at her, mouth hanging completely open.

"Those burns…" He whispered. "You were responsible for the death of my general. I can't believe it."

"And what should I have done?" Peach snapped. "He tried to kill me! He even told me I wasn't supposed to be there, as though he expected I was meant to be dead!"

But Bowser only shook his head. "You truly are a fool, Princess." He stated in a stoic voice. "Perhaps these attendants of yours are right: you really have lost it." With that, the King of the Koopas marched out of the courtyard with his head hanging low.

Peach was too infuriated by his words to wonder at their meaning. Even he had taken pity on her. They were all against her: the Council, Bowser, even Mario. She was truly alone.

"I have heard enough." Earnest declared. "The Council has come to a decision."

Peach no longer cared. Her spirit had been shattered and its fragments were gone with the wind.

"As esteemed members of the Council," Isadora began, "we hereby invoke the deposition of current sovereign Peach Toadstool as a result of various acts conducted without the Council's consent. The Council unanimously believes such a treatment is called for as a result of all evidence disclosed here.

Peach saw Mario take a step forward then to present his case for her defense. She was too tired to make one herself or even listen to what her friend was saying, though he was no doubt informing them about how the situation was his entire doing, and how she disappeared only at his request. She knew he was against her too, though, and paid his words no mind.

She understood as well, however, his sudden revelation would lead him to suffer her same fate. As she suspected, she watched a series of toad guards circle them both, their expressions hooded by their caps.

"As of this moment," Isadora continued, "both Mario and Peach Toadstool are declared criminals of the Mushroom Kingdom and are sentenced to a lifetime of imprisonment as a result of their treasonous actions, including the deliberate slaughter of the royal guard and captain Silva T."

Too much. This was just too much.

Peach was guilty of many things, but that was not one of them.

Everything she had gone through had been a lie; her place as the Mushroom Kingdom's sovereign had been a mistake from the very beginning. She realized how unfit to rule she was, how naïve her plans made her seem, as though the world could so easily be solved through peace and constant reformation. Her mind went back to everything she had done, for as far back as she could remember to this very moment.

Suddenly, her mind clung to a very specific memory. A wisp of a thought that seemed to have taken place back when she was still of sane mind. She clung to the reminiscence for dear life, as though she would finally lose herself to the sea of madness that threatened to take her if she somehow let go.

Peach began to laugh.

The guffaw was filled with mirth and emotion, a genuine expression of amusement. She finally understood. She had been the joke the entire time, and it was only now she had realized the punch line. She wheezed in raw hilarity until she felt her eyes blinded by the stinging sensation of her tears.

She finally understood.

Peach Toadstool continued her raucous laughter, even as she felt herself being driven away by a squad of people she refused to recognize.


	6. Second Chances

Part 2

Old Friends, New Foes

Chapter VI

**Second Chances**

Nightmares ravaged her dreams from the very beginning, leaving Peach to awaken in fevered shock, knowing full well their ghastly embrace would soon return.

She was living one at this very moment.

The once Princess of the Mushroom Kingdom shook away the last tendrils of sleep from her eyes, realizing once again her constant captivity within the nuances of reality. Nothing had seemed real to her for a long time, as though even her life was but a dream.

Sleep had come to her at irregular intervals, and could take her within its alluring grasp at any moment. There was no telling how long she slept as a result of the dark confines of her compartment; it could have been for mere minutes or entire days. Time seemed to her a construct beyond her understanding—a hint of knowledge inaccessible and unwarranted within her predicament, like the thought of swimming to a lakitu. She was indifferent to its meaning and passing.

Pointless musings offered her nothing but a means of going through the day, and Peach already had countless other considerations to mull over.

Like the endless reoccurring of nightmares.

She shook back an incoming bout of shivers that accompanied her rise. She was as much a prisoner of those spasms as she was of her establishment. It couldn't be helped; she was beyond such futile notions of accusation, of demanding an answer where none had reason to exist. Power functioned as a result of its strength, and would never be brought down as a result of anything other than an unprecedented display of further power. There was no other rule to living.

Peach regarded her closed quarters once again, taking into account all the recognizable sights. The prospect was one born of familiarity, as a means of combating the painful dreams that followed in her release into the world of sleep. There were others, but those would come later.

The walls of the rectangular room were of an uncouth mixture of stone and water, their hue unknown in the stark darkness of her mind. Their features were hard and rough on her skin, sensations she felt were undeserved for one such as her, but they too were a means of fighting back her invading psychosis.

Her horrors held captive within her mind had subsided, leaving her without even a sliver of recollection as to what they had been about. Peach allowed herself a short-lived smile.

She crawled off her pallet with a grunt, moving her legs after what felt like hours of neglect. The cell was as spacious as she could have asked for, but lacked in proper lighting. Even then, the small straw mattress was the only decoration the room had.

She had been removed of all her possessions before they took her to her imprisonment. They had clothed her in a dull pink uniform, and had taken her sapphire brooch and crown. She had recalled a time when both had been of vital importance to her being, but that had been long ago.

Peach realized with a sudden sensation she was happy. She had found meaning in her captivity and was determined to fulfill its purpose. Her mind was now clear. She had shown such apparent distaste at the very mention of interment a lifetime ago, but her mind had been addled then. Now she reveled in the freedom of clarity, of fully understanding the brevity behind her seditious acts.

She was a criminal, and like all criminals, she never had the intention of getting caught.

Peach found solace in her enlightenment. There was no point in hiding the truth from herself. She had been deposed for a reason she had been too afraid to admit to in the past, but that fear was now gone.

Leaving only resoluteness behind.

The change was to her advantage. All she had considered obsolete had been driven away like sundered armor. The wasteful materials had only served to impede her progress, and in finally removing the cracked and battered pieces she had found to ability to cope with only the bare essentials.

Her situation could have been a whole lot worse.

Peach thanked the stars for her realizations in lost mockery, believing her predicament to be the best she could possibly have. Her head was clear, unencumbered by the burdens of living. In truth, she pitied her captors, believing their existence to be inferior to her own. They world would always be filled with oppression and distractions, while hers was devoid of such strenuous devices.

Despite her better judgment, Peach found her thoughts surfing through uncharted seas. She willed them to return, but they were loose within her mind, eagerly probing each section of memory, searching for release.

A futile endeavor.

The image of a red-capped mustached man appeared in her mind's eye. There was no significance in the mental portrait, despite the stray thoughts' allusions to the contrary.

Mario, she realized with emotionless clarification, was the man's name. He was a captive just like her. Did that or his name mean anything? She also had a name, a common ground for enterprise.

Her motives became more complex as her thoughts moved on. He had been important to her—no, he still was, in accordance with her mind's declaration. Had she once again succumbed to delusion? Nothing ever seemed real within her cell. Thoughts and actions were one and the same.

Her scavenged reflections probed further. Was he in good health? Did he remember her? Maybe he was thinking of her in the same fashion she was with him. The thought almost made her giggle.

The stone walls behind Peach affixed her to their hard bases like a mattress filled with air. She wouldn't have minded if they simply swallowed her whole, only to become as emotionless and undying as the rocks themselves. That way she would remain forever tied to her illusionary affixations and methods of release, day in and day out.

The narrow slits of light coming through the bars of the cell's door caught her attention. Like a curious animal, she proceeded forward despite the uncomfortable sensation of having seen light once again for so long. She could hear the slow beat of footsteps on the stone floor.

Someone was coming.

Peach only vaguely remembered visits from her warden, mentions lost within a storm of discontinuity. She had greedily consumed whatever scrap or morsel the guard provided her, and had followed him like a stray baby yoshi after its mother whenever he given her leave to relieve herself. He too was a constant in a world of irregularity, and his visits were often well received.

The toad—another word returning from the foils of her mind's actions, did not share her enthusiasm. He always regarded her with a gaze that clearly showed he wanted nothing more than to leave her presence, and his abnormal behavior had made him careless.

Still, Peach saw no reason to try and escape when the toad had unintentionally left her cell door ajar to do his own business as far away from Peach as the short man could possibly get, only to return the next day with a perplexed expression at still seeing Peach curled up within the dark and dank prison. Escaping was pointless. She would be caught eventually, and she knew her captors would loathe her more than they already did in the attempt. Raising hopes and ambitions would only bring her further pain.

But Peach had adored that figure for his constant forays. He was her only link to humanity; the only other person besides her she knew was real. His scowl-frozen face reminded her she was still alive, no matter how it seemed otherwise. She needed that toad as much as she needed air to live.

Her stomach grumbled in anticipation for food. Despite his many visits, Peach was always left hungry after dragging spoonfuls of the pale mush that was her only source of nourishment inside her dry mouth. Not even licking the bowl until it was completely clean satisfied her cravings completely.

The person who had once been the ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom soon became used to the sudden luminescence and regarded her warden walking the antechamber leading to her cell. She spotted with some measure of difficulty the burly guard wasn't carrying a tray of food. Dissuaded, she slouched back on the rough stone and awaited the opening of the door.

The pained shriek she gave imitated the sound of the rusty metal door being opened.

Through her apathy, Peach hadn't noticed the irregularity of the toad's footsteps.

She now realized he hadn't come alone.

Mario—the man she had been thinking about, stood behind the large armored toad, his face pallid and heavy. Even within her memories, she never remembered him looking so ill.

The sight of him brought everything to her in a torrential rush of thoughts and ideas so inexplicably powerful she was sent backwards to slam her back against the wall. She moaned in pain, but the sound resembled that made by an injured beast rather than of a person.

Mario, ever the chivalrous hero, tensed at her discomfort. She could feel his desire to help her, but knew the act would likely cost him his life if his captor had anything to say about it. He stood his ground and instead looked at her with miserable eyes.

"Up." The guard grunted, though the word resembled more of a yelp made by a small creature.

Peach did as her warden told her and stood facing him.

He beckoned with a gauntleted fist to the outside but did not speak. He wanted her to follow him.

Without waiting for her answer, he shot out of the room, with Mario only giving her a quick concerned glance before following.

Peach tried to stand, but found she couldn't. It hurt so much. Every time she tried, she was knocked to the ground by a torturous blow of pain. Still, she did not give up. Peach pulled herself against the wall for balance and began slowly walking forward, using the room's edges as a support.

She had to hurry. If she dawdled, her guard would likely not be pleased.

Her old suspicions were confirmed once she had seen Mario. Peach had in fact been living a nightmare.

Everything had returned to her in a flash. She remembered everything; from her departure after having watched the play Bubbles had been so eager to show her, her confrontation with Bowser and the subsequent turn of events, and her return to the castle, where she was labeled a traitor and a criminal of the kingdom.

She began to wonder if the Council had decided to change their minds. She saw from Mario's expression he thought the same. Her crimes were immeasurable, so she now realized, and her death would spur a time of retribution from those who were wronged as a result of her incompetence, as well as deter any potential usurpers from their plans. It was the perfect beginning to the world the Council wished to see realized.

At least in that case she wouldn't be there to see the kingdom that had once been shaped by her rule destroyed in the fires of revolution and rebuilt from its ashes. So many lives were riding on the Council's decisions. She hoped, for her people's—and they would always remain her people, whether they accepted it or not, sake, Isadora and her lackeys knew what they were doing.

Not even the thought of dying worried her. Her entire life was forfeit regardless of whether she spent it cooped up in a prison cell, or dead. She felt a twinge of regret for Mario's own fate, however. He had defended her at a time when she had been completely helpless. She couldn't refute Mario's claims then out of her sheer weakness, and had so been the arbiter behind his sentence and ensuing demise. If she had only been stronger.

He would not fault her for her limitations, however. Not Mario, never Mario.

At least her nightmares would soon be over.

Peach continued limping about in her weakened state, all the while looking like a fool. She could see her warden awaiting her approach by holding the door leading out of the antechamber open.

They proceeded out the door, arriving to another hallway with a perpendicular section that proved to be their only passage. Peach was stricken with delusions and fever when the toad guardsmen had first taken her to her room of imprisonment, and had recalled none of the voyage. Mario looked to be in a similar state of suspense, eyeing the long straight section of the passage in awe.

They took the right route at the point where the two passages intersected, and moved through a hallway whose walls were made of similar material to the one that lined the foundations of her holding block. Their advance was guided by a series of lit candles suspended by a metal frames lining each wall. The light was uncomfortable to stare at, so Peach kept her gaze to the spacious guard walking before her.

Mario moved in slow strides, feigning his antics for weakness. Peach knew better: he was deliberately keeping pace with her in order to guide her and attempt to catch her should she slip or harm herself. She also knew Mario knew and was fully ready to handle the repercussions of his actions should he amount to doing just that.

He still trusted her and believed in her, in a world where no one else did.

Not even herself.

The three of them continued through countless chambers, entryways, and conference rooms in complete stillness. The castle's dungeons were larger than Peach remembered, spanning countless rooms of various uses. The place was likely as versatile and well kept as the castle itself, no doubt in part by the constant efforts of the jailers who worked in keeping the kingdom safe from the ruffians kept behind bars, like her.

Before, Peach would have viewed the citadel meant for criminals with a mild curiosity, as an attempt to understand why such provocations were even necessary in the first place. Now, after being a part of the group she had so often wondered about, those notions fell away like snow in the sunlight.

The group had ceased walking. They stopped in a particularly inconspicuous area. The hallway continued further into countless depthless rooms, but her warden had chosen to refrain from going further.

They had encountered no one doing their travels, a fact Peach was beginning to wonder was too coincidental, as though the guard had deliberately made plans to prevent such an occurrence from happening.

The large toad turned around then, giving Mario a scowl. He then turned his attention to Peach and repeated the gesture. She understood the meaning behind it: 'don't move, or there will be hell to pay when I get back.'

The guard then proceeded into one of the rooms, leaving the door open as to take notice of anything Peach or Mario did. The two of them remained silent, not even sharing a glance this time. Peach was all too happy to finally gain a moment's respite. She rested her weary legs and sighed in relief as she awaited the return of her subjugator.

Peach yelped as she felt something beneath her shift. She jumped back just in time to see the plot of ground she had been standing on to disperse, leaving behind a grated storm drain.

Mario rushed to her side, making sure she was all right. It was then she noticed he wasn't wearing his signature hat. His brown hair was unkempt and sleek with sweat, though the sight was hardly familiar to her. Seeing him so exposed made her heart sink. The loss of his cap was through her doing once again. Mario didn't show it, but she knew he wasn't taking the forced mislaying of his headgear well. It had been as much a symbol to him as it was to the Mushroom Kingdom.

The toad returned in a sudden hurry, walking up to the grated metal flooring. He kneeled down and pressed both hands to the bars, pulling with all his might.

The closed tubes popped out and were sent to the air to land noisily next to Peach. She looked down the now exposed hole, feeling a strange familiarity with the dark abyss hanging below.

The toad was eyeing the circular opening as well before he stood and motioned for her and Mario to descend.

Peach was confused. She was being asked to go down a gaping pit, leading stars knew where. She wondered if she should try asking her warden where he was taking them or why they needed to use such strange measures to arrive there. Perhaps she and Mario were being sent off through means utilized in order to keep the public from knowing of their travels. Peach didn't distrust the notion her people would ask for her blood should they see her, so some measure of safety was perhaps needed to keep her protected from their wrath before the execution.

But wouldn't the humiliation caused by the degrading experience be just deserts for her actions in the Council's eyes? It didn't make any sense that they would let her off so easily. Still she had been sentenced to lifetime of imprisonment instead of being executed on the spot at the point where the Council had made their decision.

Maybe the act was being done in secrecy so no one but the Council would be aware something unwarranted had happened. Everyone else would believe her and Mario still prisoners; while the Council would revel in the knowledge their old oppressors were defeated for good. It made sense.

Peach wasn't at all alarmed by the revelation. Dead was dead, after all.

Seeing her hesitation, Mario took the initiative, jumping into the hole without any fear of what was to come. He disappeared within the inky blackness without a sound.

Peach was now alone with her warden. She decided to try talking with him in order to find out what was in store for her. There was nothing her captor could do to faze her since she would be dead in a short time anyway.

She made to speak, but instantly broke into a fit of coughing. It had been a while since she had opened her mouth for anything besides eating, and the action left her feeling helpless.

The toad watched her with those same expressionless eyes. She was nothing to him. Peach knew that for a fact.

"Wh-," She managed to say with difficulty, "Why?" The question was high-pitched and pathetically attempted. It was the best Peach could do under her conditions, but it was clear to her the attempt would likely grant her nothing but a beating.

Much to her surprise, the guard simply kept looking straight at her, as though he didn't know what to do. After a few moments of awkward silence, he pointed down the hole and grunted, repeating his request.

Peach sighed and placed herself right before the dark chasm. She looked down hesitantly and jumped down.

The next thing she remembered was Mario lifting her to her feet. She looked into his eyes and saw dark rings under them. He had been just as tired as she was. She accepted the help without a word and regarded her surroundings.

The air was turgid and smelly, causing Peach to wrinkle her nose in annoyance rather than disgust. The two of them had landed in a large walkway flanked on one side to a channel filled with running water—likely the source of the smell, that looked murky and green in the sallow lighting caused by a series of lanterns hanging from the ceiling. On the other side of the stream was a passageway similar to the one they were currently standing on.

Peach instantly recognized where they were: they had somehow made it to the sewers under Toad Town once again. She turned to the other side of the path and became aware of how they had arrived.

The hole she had jumped through was in fact a Warp Pipe, the end of the magical green pipe running through the wall with the nozzle breaching the surface like a rising diver's snorkel through open water.

The rest of the wall was filled with countless lattices spaced apart in a symmetrical fashion. The open pipe was the only breach within the pattern.

Peach moved to the side and away from the mouth of the pipe lest the tumbling body of her warden crash into her and send her sprawling into the dirty water filling the ditch. As she and Mario awaited his arrival, her mind set to wondering just why he had chosen to send them into such a strange location.

Peach wasn't familiar with the underground layout of Toad Town, and knew there were few individuals who were. The little she did know was that the sewers contained a labyrinth of forks and passages spanning the entire town and perhaps farther on. The subterranean warren was notorious for its design, and while it had few visitors other than those who tended it, it was faulted for every case of missing individuals. Peach could only shudder at the fate those hapless people went through if the sewers had in fact been their final resting place, as the knowledge revealing strange creatures still lived within them was well-known by the town's citizens.

Which meant they would need a guide, someone who knew the sewers well enough to traverse them without fail, or else the probability of them getting lost throughout its many corridors would be all too likely.

As if in the answering of her last consideration, the toad came out of the pipe with as much familiarity as Peach had shown. He stood as if he hadn't just been humiliated and tossed around by the device and looked around the vicinity.

"Howdy there," a distant voice called out, "glad to see you could make it."

The group turned to locate its source. The voice had sounded familiar to her ears, and yet she felt as if it had been weeks since she last heard it.

Then she saw a figure emerging from a shadow farther on in the passageway.

"Hello there, Princess." Wedge said as he walked to her position. "How's it goin'?

"Wedge?" Peach exclaimed, wiping her eyes in an attempt to make sure she wasn't seeing things. "What are you doing here?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Another voice asked from the same hiding spot. "Getting you outta here."

The other hammer brother materialized out of the same shrouded location and went off to join his brother. Both hammer bros. stood facing Mario and Peach with small smiles fixed on their faces.

"Show's over, Nook." Wedge said. "Come over here and show 'em your true form before they have a heart attack."

Before Peach could wonder at what the koopa had meant, her warden walked over to where the two brothers stood and faced her and Mario.

The large toad vanished in a puff of smoke, revealing a small figure in its wake.

Mario and Peach gasped simultaneously.

That which now stood before them was a tanoomba with a golden leaf. The same tanoomba, Peach realized, she had saved from Bowser's horrific plans some time in the past.

Her temper flared with thoughts of the immoral Koopa King, but her surprise was enough to keep them from escalating.

"You…" Peach stammered in a low voice. "You're that tanoomba from Bowser's fortress."

The tiny shape nodded, with "Yeah." being his only reply. He appeared to be looking at the ground, ashamed of the memories her words had brought on. "I'm Nook." He then added in a much more reassured voice.

"Ain't he just?" Wedge added warmly.

"It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance formally this time, Nook." Peach replied, ignoring Wedge's comment. "I'm Peach, and this next to me is Mario."

Mario nodded his greeting, beaming at the young tanoomba.

"I know." Nook reassured. "They told me."

"We did at that." Chuck said. The hammer brother was taller than his sibling, and wore a dark brown shell with a matching helmet. His light blue eyes regarded Peach with some measure of mirth. She didn't doubt the two brothers would still be smiling even if the entire world was being torn apart right before their eyes.

"What exactly is going on here?" Peach inquired, having absolutely no clue as to where to begin asking questions.

"Like he said," Wedge explained, pointing to his brother, "we're here to bail you out of your captivity—for free, of course."

"I don't understand." Peach admitted.

"You don't belong cooped up in a cell for the rest of your life, Princess." Chuck said. "There are people out there who need you."

Peach simply repeated her statement. She was so confused. She was a prisoner, a criminal and an enemy of the kingdom. The moment the Council ever caught word of her escape, the kingdom's forces would hunt her down and return her to captivity. She couldn't just break away from an entire nation so easily.

"Chuck, Wedge, what are you two _doing_ here?" Peach began, her concern for the hammer brothers outweighing her puzzlement.

"It's a long story." The smaller hammer brother declared. "Though the short version is: we high-tailed it outta the kingdom the moment we learned of your capture. Along our travels we came across this little guy, and enlisted him to help get you free."

Peach saw the small tanoomba nod his agreement to the story.

"Do you realize what you two have just done? You've made yourselves fugitives of the Council's rule. You have become renegades, and should you be caught, your fate would be unpleasant beyond belief!"

"We know all that, Princess." Chuck said with a wave of his hand. "And we don't care a whit neither."

Peach simply stood there, watching the group as though they were the strangest things she had ever seen. They were putting themselves in serious danger, and for her sake no less.

"Why?" She whispered.

Wedge chose to answer, his smile betraying no amount of impatience with her addled questionings. "Because what they did ain't right. You weren't 's'posed ta know that door would lead you someplace else."

"The door?" Peach asked. "You came in to investigate? What did it look like?"

"Open." Chuck responded, spreading out his arms to imitate the wideness, causing Nook to chuckle softly. "Inside was all white. We didn't follow you in, Princess, and stars curse us for our weakness."

"Nonsense," Peach said, "it was better of you not to peruse us, I promise. Thank you."

"If you don't mind me askin'," Wedge interrupted, "where exactly did you two end up?"

"I'm afraid I can't provide that information just yet, Wedge. Perhaps some other time." Peach felt a pang of guilt for being so secretive, but she wasn't in any mood to retell her horrible encounters with Bowser and the subsequent events that followed just yet. She hardly believed the story herself.

"We get it, Princess. Not for us to know. Gotcha. That's a part of bein' a princess, innit? Keepin' secrets and all that." Wedge drawled. Unlike his brother, the short hammer bro. wore no headgear, exposing his bald yellow pate. The two koopas looked sickly in the light's reflection.

"It isn't through any fault of your own," Peach explained, "I'm simply not ready to disclose any information regarding my recent 'adventures' just yet. And please don't call me Princess. I no longer hold claim to such a title."

Now it was Chuck's turn to scoff. "Just because some people managed to take away your designation doesn't mean you don't still hold it at heart. Too bad about the story, though. It's obvious you and Nook know each other, though he won't let us in on when you three managed to meet up before now either."

"Oh Chuck, Wedge." Peach said softly, "I don't deserve you. I don't deserve this kingdom."

"Keep talking like that, and you might just get your wish, Princess." Chuck replied sternly.

"Look," Wedge explained, attempting to lessen the sting from his brother's harsh words, "let me put it to you this way: just 'cause you had everything stolen from you doesn't mean you should lose all hope. I ain't never heard of a ruler not prone to makin' enemies—in fact, I'd be pretty worried if that were the case, since it'd mean they had no friends neither."

"You just happened to make enemies of some very influential individuals." Chuck continued, speaking right after his brother as though he had read his mind. "It doesn't mean you're wrong if they happen to claim your actions as ineffectual and succeed in bringing you down for them, it just means you weren't prepared enough."

"We ain't saying you is right or wrong," Wedge went on, "all we want to tell you is you have beliefs strong enough to get you followers, and these followers are counting on you to do all you can to bring yourself back. They ain't well-known at the moment, but if you give 'em a chance I'm sure they'll stand by you 'till the end."

"And for the record," Chuck said, "we're all members of that crowd here."

"Darn tootin'!" Wedge agreed, causing Nook to nod his head as well.

Even Mario looked to be watching her and smiling. She would always have his support, no matter what.

She could hardly believe what the brothers were saying. There were others out there who actually wanted her to return to power? It didn't seem at all possible: she had been the cause for the invasion of her kingdom, no doubt as a result of the weakness she had displayed within Bowser's presence. She had on countless occasions through her own selfish desires been the product of kidnappings and evil plots, leaving her nation defenseless and without a proper ruler. She had been the reason behind the Mushroom Kingdom's poor protection, choosing instead to follow the traditions of her ancestors in keeping her realm pure of violence instead of developing a proper militia to keep abrasive forces at bay. What Chuck had just told her seemed impossible.

Slightly uncomfortable from the resounding silence, Chuck resumed speaking: "When Wedge, Brad and I became deserters of Bowser's rule, we made a promise: we swore to forget the notions of war and find peaceful lives. It was hard for us, going off like that, in search of a better future. We no longer saw eye-to-eye with Bowser and his strange mentality, and so left his army in secrecy."

"We wasn't the best fighters, mind," Wedge continued, once again speaking right after his brother, "so we didn't have to run from much, but still no one wanted anythin' to do wit' us. No one trusted us to sing 'em a song let alone live right to them."

"No one but you."

"You was the only one to give us a chance." Wedge explained. "You looked at us like we _meant_ somethin' and took us in without a second thought. Your folks complained, but you didn't care none, you jus' followed your heart. That touched us deep, Princess." Wedge moved a hand to where his heart was. "Real deep."

"That's why we don't mind being made enemies of the kingdom." Chuck said, chaining his words with his brother's. "We don't follow the Council or the Mushroom Kingdom."

"We follow you." They both said in unison.

Peach was taken aback by the brothers' stunning sense of loyalty to her cause. She didn't understand what she had accomplished to obtain such fervent devotion, but felt her heart swell with pride at its accounting nonetheless.

"I don't know what you did to deserve being put in jail," Nook admitted, "but you saved me from Bowser's clutches, and so I have to pay you back somehow."

"Was the pun intended?" Wedge quipped with a smile.

Nook gave the slender hammer bro. a pointed look.

"Ow!" Wedge yelled as his brother cuffed him on the back of the head.

"Quit yapping, you numbskull." Chuck said. "And remind me next time never to take you to one of that dolphin's gigs again."

"What'd I do?" Wedge questioned, rubbing his bruised head. "I bet you wouldn't've done that if I was wearing one of those helmets."

"Would so." His brother declared.

Wedge was about to continue the argument, but a sharp sigh from Nook stopped him in his tracks.

"You two act like children." Nook pointed out. Still, his smile at least told Peach he had found the situation slightly amusing.

Even the brothers appeared to be beaming now. "That so, pipsqueak?" Chuck joked. "Least we ain't one."

Nook glared at Chuck with widened eyes, not understanding whether he had been stating the obvious or making a jest at his expense. He eventually chose the former, evidenced by his sudden scowl at being called a child.

"Aww, relax, kid." Wedge said as he crouched down to look into the eyes of the sulking tanoomba. "He was only playing wit'cha."

"I know." The small creature whispered, before hopping up to Wedge and giving him his own clout on the head.

"Hey, watch it!" Wedge declared in an offended tone. "Not you too."

Nook burst into a fit of contagious laughter. Had Peach felt better, she would have found the exchange astonishing beyond belief. How the two hammer brothers had managed to gain the trust of the reclusive Nook was beyond her wildest guesses, but there they stood, as easygoing around each other as lifelong friends.

Peach turned her own face into a half-hearted smile, not wanting to be a further cause for attention.

Chuck, stubborn yet dependable to a fault, Wedge, with his humorous speaking mistakes caused by a poor understanding of the Mushroom language, and Nook, the enigmatic youngster who had declared his own insistence in helping her. They along with Mario were her supporters at a time where she deserved none, and yet they would do anything for her at a moment's notice.

"Thank you, everyone." Peach declared, widening her smile. "I will try to live up to your expectations."

The group stopped laughing and faced her; their faces all filled with such sincere displays of happiness they made her heart clench. "Glad to hear it!" Chuck said.

Nook's eyes widened, as though the small child had remembered something. "Hold on." He said before rushing out from the group and running into the shadows where he disappeared from sight.

"Is it safe for him to go all by himself?" Peach wondered aloud.

"He'll be fine." Wedge reassured her with a nod. "He's tougher than he looks."

"How'd you both come by him?"

Chuck laughed. "It's a long story, and Nook isn't going far, but we'll tell you what we can."

Mario shifted his position, looking eager to hear the tale as well.

"Like we said," Chuck went on, "we escaped the castle before things got hairy in search of our missing brother—"

"Your brother?" Peach interrupted. "He's still missing after all this time?"

"'Fraid so, Princess." Wedge replied. "Haven't heard from 'im since we last spoke with you."

"I'm sorry to hear that. I hope you find him soon."

"He'll show up on his own." Chuck assured, though Peach felt a hint of doubt in the koopa's voice. "Anyway, as we were crossing the plains to the north, we came upon this."

The older hammer brother pulled out a battered wooden mallet from a belted loop at his side. The hammer looked almost small in his hands, and Peach knew the weapon was not meant for him.

"This was his hammer, I know it." Wedge added with a determined expression, the only wavering of his ever-present smile Peach noted.

"The loss of a weapon to a hammer brother is like the loss of an arm." Chuck explained. "Some of us get so attached to our hammers we end up believing them to possess a mind of their own. A hammer brother wouldn't simply toss his weapon away for no good reason. We can only fear for the worst."

The sudden lapse in good cheer made Peach feel suddenly drained of strength. These two koopas had forgone their search for their brother to help her regain her position as ruler of the Mushroom Kingdom because it was the only thing they had left. Their brother was lost and possibly dead. They had nowhere else to go, or more importantly, no one to turn to.

Peach pitied them from the bottom of her heart, but was in no position to offer further sympathies.

"Soon after we uncovered a sleeping tanoomba further on near the entrance to Twine Forest." Chuck continued. "We thought nothing of it at first, until we stumbled upon a couple of beat-up koopas hidden inside some bushes some time later."

Peach froze. Had those two koopas been the trappers Bowser sent to return Nook to his habitat? Perhaps the three had been attacked by something else, but had managed to drive their pursuer off only at the expense of Nook's appointed guardians. Peach didn't want to believe it was anything else but that.

"When we saw the kid's wounds, well… Let's just say we put two-and-two together and figured out what had happened. We kept the little tyke wit' us to keep him safe and ask him if he'd seen Brad when he got up."

"When he had woken up," Chuck recounted, "he had been hostile from the start and managed to get away from us for a while. He was still tired though, and not even his hiding spots were enough to keep him fully undetectable, so we eventually found him and calmed him down enough to ask him whether or not he had seen Brad."

"With me doin' all the hard work." Wedge pointed out.

Chuck simply sighed and continued his narrative: "He told us he hadn't seen anyone during his travels aside from us. We mentioned the two koopas, and—"

Peach spotted the small tanoomba in the distance, running towards them and looking satisfied.

"Some other time, alright?" Wedge whispered in her ear. She nodded her reply, but didn't understand why the brothers were unwilling to tell their story with Nook present.

Both Mario and Peach shouted in joy upon seeing the tanoomba reach them.

Nook had upon his head a familiar red cap with the letter 'M' initialed on the front, while in his mouth he carried a sapphire brooch.

"I can't believe it." Peach exclaimed. "Where in the world did you find them?"

"We'd be lyin' if we told you it was easy, Princess, but Nook insisted."

"But how did he know we misplaced our…?" Peach queried before blurting out the answer a few short moments later: "You're telling me Nook was our warden all along?"

"Yeah!" Nook replied enthusiastically, eager to be a part of the conversation. "Sorry if I didn't talk much or treat you better than I could've, but it was hard with other people watching me."

Despite many things now making sense, she stammered: "But, how did you do it?"

"I became one of your people." Nook explained.

"Yeah," Wedge agreed. "When we discussed everything wit'im, I had this bright idea, see? Me and Chuck here'd manage to get him a guard's uniform and he'd take your old guard's place. 'Course, the two of 'em spent hours tellin' me how much of a genius I was—"

"No we didn't!" Nook exclaimed in a slightly accusing tone.

"Yeah well, maybe." Wedge said with a wave of his hand. "Anyways, we managed to overpower some sap and got 'im the outfit. He did his transformation thingy and well, you know the rest."

"It was like nothing we'd seen before." Chuck continued. "He simply took the form of a toad right before our eyes. It was pretty astounding, to say the least."

Peach stopped for a moment to look at Mario. She could tell he was having her same thoughts.

"It was nothing." Nook said modestly, still bubbling at the praise.

"Yeah, we know it's surprisin' and all, but you'll have plenty of time to look at each other later." Wedge said as he watched her looking at Mario.

Mario turned his gaze away and took his signature hat with a grateful sigh, placing it atop his head. He affixed it to the right position and cheered loudly for the entire world to hear after doing a wide somersault. It was as if he had become a different man with his hat returned to him.

"Careful there, Jumpman," Wedge laughed, "or you'll wake everyone up."

"Peach took her own item with a display of thanks and hugged it tightly to her chest. She never wanted to be separated from it again.

"Well, now that this friendly reunion's over with, we really oughta get movin' before the guards wake up and learn what really happened."

The rest of the party all nodded their heads at that.

The group began walking in the direction opposite to the one Nook had taken before. Peach watched the channel of sewer water as she moved, noting that it fell from gray pipes lining the canal's walls. The sewage-mixed liquid made a gurgling sound as it raced them to their destination.

"We have a good couple hours before the guards notice your disappearance." Chuck explained as they walked. "It shouldn't take us long to get you out of these sewers though, considering we're taking a shortcut."

"So, what's your game plan when you escape?" Wedge asked Peach.

"How are we supposed to know?" Peach blurted. "We weren't the ones who staged this entire escapade."

"Uh, yeah. S'pose you have a point there." Wedge conceded.

"What about me?" Nook asked.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You guys are fugitives, right? I could take you to Twine Forest. There no one would catch you."

"But Twine Forest is a deserted sanctuary." Peach pointed out. "The tall trees might help us secure a hiding spot, but there are no people there to greet us. We wouldn't be able to survive there by ourselves for very long."

"But I live there!" Nook said.

"You do?" Peach blinked in surprise.

"We aren't very well-known to outsiders," the small tanoomba admitted, "but it's true. We tanoombas have made ourselves a home there."

"I never knew." The revelation was astounding. Peach thought the tanoombas to be native only to the Beanbean Kingdom, but there was actually a colony of the creatures living within her own borders. Peach was furious at the half-lie the trappers had given Bowser during their explanation on where they had found Nook. They were no doubt poachers who had followed Bowser's wishes only to have their charge reveal the true location of his people so they could use them for themselves. Bowser's minions were despicable.

Peach took back her last thoughts after thinking it over through a little further. Most of them were, though not even Chuck and Wedge were under any of Bowser's follower lists anymore, meaning they didn't really count.

"Thanks for reminding me, Nook, I had almost forgotten." Chuck said. "I think spending some time with Nook in his forest is a good idea. Not only will it keep the Council scratching their heads on where you are, but it'll give us time to prepare your forces in secrecy until you're ready to reclaim what is rightfully yours."

"Are the four of us the only non-tanoombas who know this secret civilization exists?" Peach asked.

"I haven't told anyone else," Nook said, "but I don't speak for the whole tribe."

"And do you think they'll allow us to reside there with you, Nook?" Peach questioned.

"I'm not sure." Nook admitted, sounding a little sullen. "I've never seen anyone besides my kind live in our village before. It isn't something that happens a lot because hardly anyone else knows about us."

"Do you share an elevated position within your tribe?"

"Uh," Nook stammered after thinking about the question for a while, "we're all the same, really. No one is better than anyone else."

Had Peach's mind not already been racing, she would have been fascinated by such a prospect. Here she was, learning something entirely new about her kingdom, something she would have never discovered without the process of exploration, but her thoughts were currently only concerned with one thing: her survival.

It was a gamble. If the tanoombas denied them entry, they would once again be stranded with no help, but what other choice did they have? Nook, Chuck and Wedge had already gone through with the first part of the plan, and Peach wasn't willing to let them down after their attempts in bringing her spirits up. They had tried so hard and done so much for her already, it was only natural for her to want to return the favor.

"I think it's worth a shot." Wedge said after a moment of waiting.

"And how long did it take you to figure that out, genius?" Chuck joked. "I bet you didn't even think the whole thing through."

"I agree with him." Peach replied. "I don't think we can come up with a better idea in the time it will take the Council to learn of my departure, and so am convinced it is our best option, so long as Nook doesn't mind."

"I can't make sure the tribe will accept, but I think it's a good plan."

"Good." Peach nodded. "Now let's get out of here."

They had all been walking nonstop through the sewer's dizzying patterns and various constructions. The two hammer brothers were in the lead, coordinating the group with a profound sense of direction and knew just where they were going. Chuck and Wedge appeared to be taking the safest routes, considering Peach hadn't seen a single strange creature since arriving. She knew their existence wasn't exaggerated, considering the large mallets the brothers wore on their belts. In fact, she had hired them for the very purpose of their combat experience, meaning they would be able to cope with the various creatures that inhabited the least-known areas of Toad Town better than anyone else.

The work was dangerous and no doubt degrading, but the three brothers had worked as though they had been given the most flattering job in the world, and yet the only recognition they received for their duty came from Peach herself. Toad Town owed a lot to the brothers and still its people were hesitant to give them their due in respect and admiration.

Peach didn't know whether or not to blame herself for the constant mistrust the toads showed members of the koopa race. Though their animosity had been written in blood since her kingdom's first ruler, she had tried her best to get the two peoples to at least respect each other. The toads continued to elude her despite her best attempts, and she wondered if she was trying hard enough. Still, some people never changed, and many koopas had done nothing but spit in the face of the toads in the past. That wasn't enough justification for the mushroom people having to resort to generalizing an entire culture based on a few rotten individuals, though.

_It's a fact of life the further like-minded individuals connect; the more difficult it is to change their ways. It's impossible to force others to expand their beliefs; they have to want change in the first place._ Peach reflected with a cheerless frown.

The toads lived their entire lives fearing the koopa menace, and would continue to do so until the koopas showed them some respect. Much in the same way the toads judged every koopa the same, Chuck and his brothers were but a few exceptions in a pool of disparity. She couldn't expect each race and culture to play nice in every situation. Sometimes some things were just impossible.

It didn't mean she had to give up trying though.

The party rounded a corner in the sludge-smeared walkway. Peach didn't bother to learn where they were going since the hammer brothers already did such an admirable job, and so instead focused on her thoughts.

Peach wondered how many supporters she actually had. According to the two koopa siblings, she had a few, though they were separated and likely as collective as the toads after catching mention of Bowser in their midst's. She would need to find a way to communicate with them in secret or risk losing them out of negligence. Chuck and Wedge would likely try their best to keep them together, but even they could only do so much.

Both koopas had left their prior ruler because they were tired of fighting, and now they had thrust themselves into the very same thing on her behalf. Nook was a completely different case, but both parties acted like they owed her something. To Peach things were situated the other way around.

The crew stopped before a closed door with a warning sign at the front. Peach recalled spotting a similar access point during her last visit to the sewers.

"The switch for this one is this way." Chuck declared, motioning with an arm the direction he intended to take. "Come on, everybody."

They followed his path, crossing through more humid sections until they reached a large mass of yellow material blocking their way onward.

"Say, Mario," Wedge said, "you used to be good with a hammer, didn't you?"

Mario nodded.

"In that case," Chuck stated, "let's see what you've got."

Without so much as a warning, the hammer unfastened the spare wooden mallet and tossed it over to Mario. He caught it easily and regarded the frayed wood with an expression resembling happiness, like the reuniting of an old friend.

"The wood's a little worn out, but it should serve you well."

Mario moved to stand in front of the uniform buildup and faced the hurdle with a light in his eyes. Nook moved his way forward, apparently excited something was finally about to happen.

"Some sections in these sewers have generated chokepoints." Chuck explained. "Sewage accumulates here through some pipes hanging over specific entryways, and the resulting residue congeals into a solid foundation after a few days of letting it be."

"Sounds…fascinating." Peach replied with some measure of disgust.

"Not many think so," Chuck said jokingly, "making this blockade perfect for preventing unwanted visitors from going through, especially since the material becomes tough with age, requiring something to help beat it into pieces eventually."

"Something like our hammers." Wedge finished.

"I see. So this blockage is here by design in order to keep others for foraying into unsafe areas unexpectedly. I must say I am quite impressed with your work."

"Aww, shucks." Wedge said while rubbing the back of his head, a flush running through his cheeks.

Mario appeared to be rubbing his hands together and giving the hammer a few mock swings to practice. Nook watched the display in admiration.

Satisfied with his gait and balance with the tool, the plumber raised the weapon to the air and sent it crashing down on the block of waste materials, sending pieces of the matter flying everywhere.

"Heh, you're a natural." Wedge said in praise.

"Good work, Mario." Chuck echoed.

Mario wiped his brow with a dirty hand and walked over the Chuck with the weapon in tow. He offered the hammer to the koopa handle-first, but Chuck only shook his head. "Keep it. You'll have need of it more than its previous owner will, and besides, you should have as many weapons as you can for what will come soon." He stopped for a moment before adding: "It's what he would have wanted, I think."

Wedge nodded his approval, looking somber.

Mario thanked the brothers for their generosity and promised to make good use of the gift. Peach knew he would keep to that promise.

"I'm sure you know the drill by now, but just in case," Wedge explained, "this mallet can't break everything. Stone and metal'll just take the blows without even a scratch, so try not to overwork the wood, would ya?"

Mario nodded.

Wedge moved over to her side. "Keep an eye on him for me, Princess?" he whispered. "I don't trust him farther than I can throw him." But the humor in his voice told her he was only joking.

She was in no mood for jests, though Peach didn't want to offend the hammer brother. "Of course," She sniffed.

The five of them moved past the rubble of the yellow block and spotted an exclamation switch hanging from the roof.

"Maybe we'll show you how to do this some other time." Chuck replied as he drew his own hammer quicker than Peach could see and flung it to the air, where it crashed against the button without fail.

Mario made a surprised murmur as Chuck retrieved his fallen hammer.

"That was amazing!" Nook said enthusiastically.

"What'd you expect?" Wedge asked hypothetically. "We didn't become hammer brothers by just layin' on our butts all day."

"That should do it." Chuck declared with a satisfied sigh. "Now all we need to do is head back to the door and proceed onward."

They did just that, but as Chuck placed his hand on the handle, he turned and faced the rest of the crew.

"The sign here isn't joking." He said. "There's a high chance we might come across some beasties down here. Just stick together and we'll be fine."

"Right." They all agreed.

"Wedge and Nook, flank the princess and keep behind me. Mario, you can stick to the back and make sure nothing's following us."

The formation was no doubt intended to keep her and the young tanoomba from harm's way. Peach wanted to insist she could function just as well in the front or back, but changed her mind after realizing there was no point to her insistence other than the regaining of some pride.

_And I have that to lose in spades_. Peach reminded herself.

The group assembled their specified formations and descended down the corridor. Peach noted the hammer brothers' movements becoming more precise and calculated, as if deliberately assuming a means by which they could protect her and the other members more efficiently.

Whereas the last sector of the sewers had been poorly lit, this portion was almost completely submerged in darkness. Peach felt Nook shuffling against her periodically, as though fearing the dark but not wanting to show it.

Suddenly, it occurred to Peach she didn't even know how much time she had been in captivity.

"Chuck," She said to the brother in front of her, "how much time have Mario and I spent imprisoned?"

"Not here, Princess." Chuck replied without even looking back. "A lot of the nastier stuff down here will locate you just from your voice. It's best to keep quiet until I say so."

Not wanting to voice a response, Peach nodded. Then she realized Chuck would have no way of noting she had heard him, and felt somewhat foolish after the act.

Their path went in various directions as they continued. Due to having entered the door, water no longer flowed at their side. Instead the rooms became more cramped, though no less linear. The group appeared to be descending down a series of tunnels, though without much light there was no way for her to be sure. The discontinuity of this section of the sewers was apparent as a result of the various mechanical trinkets layered throughout the floor. The devices were each of various sizes, but all of them were worn from days if not months of neglect and exposure to the sewer's unnatural conditions. There was little else Peach could make out in the obscurity, so she paid the contraptions no mind.

Crossing over into another more wide room, Chuck suddenly tensed, his behavior belaying at the idea something had gone wrong.

The five of them were not alone.

In a blur, Chuck moved forward, dealing a series of blows with his hammer to something Peach couldn't make out. She heard a creature's squeal and tried to move away to get a better look before Wedge grabbed her and shook his head.

Not even Mario was having an easy time understanding what was happening. In the darkness, they were with few options to take. Peach quickly scooped up Nook and held him in her arms in case he became lost. The little tanoomba was trembling in her hold.

Wedge joined the attack as well, tossing hammers in what appeared to Peach a random direction, though she knew better. Both koopas managed to see their adversaries and faced them in her stead. Peach was frustrated at not being able to do anything, but at least this time Mario was also left without taking action, though she tried not to incur satisfaction from the fact.

Eventfully, the fighting ceased, leaving Chuck and Wedge in an attempt to regulate their panting.

Peach couldn't see their conditions clearly enough, but she wanted to make sure the brothers were all right. Placing her hands upon them both, Peach called her power to form. She watched their eyes widen as they were healed of their recent injuries.

Chuck beamed while his brother protruded a finger in a grateful gesture. She nodded, and the group continued their journey.

Mario probably had a better idea of what they had just come upon considering his familiarity with sewer systems. Peach recalled visiting a sewer in the past, though the trip was short and she doubted anything of what she had encountered there could make its way to Toad Town's particular system.

Their travels continued, eventually leading the group to an incoming source of light. Peach wondered if they were almost to the exit. Nook huddled in her embrace, sighing in joy.

When they made it out of the darkness, Chuck held out a hand signaling everyone to stop.

"That was close." He declared.

"What was it?" Peach asked, helping Nook climb down to the floor.

"We warned you about things living down here, didn't we?" He replied. "Those were regular gloombas, though no doubt the other kinds are around here somewhere. Thankfully they don't like the light."

"Then why haven't you considered installing lights in every sector of the sewers?" She asked.

"Better they all huddle to one place than allow 'em to get used to the brightness." Wedge replied.

"More importantly though, that was you who healed us, wasn't it? Good call." Chuck said, nodding.

"Heh, lil' pipsqueak over here was scared witless." Wedge ribbed.

The tanoomba, not in a jocular mood, was having none of it, though all Wedge received for his troubles was a glare.

"This isn't the time for games." Chuck reprimanded his brother. "The more time we waste on idle chit-chat the less time we'll have to get out of here without anyone finding out."

"Always been good at sayin' the obvious, haven't ya?"

Chuck ignored his brother and kept moving forward with everyone else right behind him.

Peach followed Chuck's gaze while she moved, suddenly feeling slightly light-headed. After having reframed from using her powers for so long, they were now beginning to take a lot out of her She was suddenly glad for the light's wan glow since it covered her own pallid look well, as Peach couldn't afford to spend more time explaining to the brothers the side effects of her healing.

But as her sights landed on Chuck could move, she noticed a piece of torn skin on his shoulder. She instinctively ceased moving.

"Somethin' the matter, Princess?" Wedge asked beside her.

"It's Chuck, he's still hurt."

"Huh?" Chuck exclaimed, looking around his body and noticing further wounds. "Oh, these are just scratches. There's nothing for you to worry about."

Peach wasn't sure. "Allow me to try heling you again, if you would."

"It's nothing." Chuck repeated with a wave of his hand. "It hurts, but the pain isn't life-threatening or anything. I won't slow us down."

"Yeah right." Wedge replied.

"Still," the older hammer brother sighed, "if you insist."

Peach nodded and stepped closer to the hammer brother, placing a hand on the wound, instilling him with her powers. The rest of the members were huddled together, watching the attempt with perplexed expressions. Her hands glowed a soft gold as she worked.

There was no way for her to tell just when a wound was fully healed using her ability. All she could do was continue working until she felt as if she had done enough. On the other hand, Peach had never tried healing a person by touch before recently, and the experience was altogether different than simply willing a wound clean from far away. When she called upon her wishes, they manifested themselves in a fixed amount, but this time the flow went unabated, as though her calling was a floodgate left open, and much in the same way water crossed through the gate uncontrollably if not closed, her power would flow until she voluntarily stopped its current.

She felt the need to stop.

Peach released Chuck and inspected the wound.

Nothing had changed.

"Nothing happened." Nook pointed out.

"I just don't understand." Peach said as she fell to her knees in what she hoped appeared to be desperation. "It's always worked before."

"Maybe you're just tired yourself." Chuck deduced, not far from the truth.

"Yeah," Wedge agreed, "you two've been locked up for a long time. That's no doubt what's happenin'."

"I appreciate the effort, Princess, but I'll be fine for now so long as we aren't caught by surprise again, heh."

"I'm sorry, Chuck." Peach said as Mario helped her up. She was too weak to stand on her own.

"For what, Princess?" Chuck asked, his voice slightly nervous. "You did all you could."

Peach could only nod to appease the koopa's expectations, though she didn't mean the gesture.

"How much longer?" She asked, hoping to change the subject.

"Not much, now." Wedge replied. "Just a couple more junctions we'll reach the northern sector's exit."

Peach took strength from that, feeling glad they would soon be gone from these foul sewers and free to move about as they wished. _Though where we'll go from here is anyone's guess._

They traveled through the northern sewers, spirits heightened and eager for the coming moments of freedom. As they walked, Peach was beginning to notice marks of actual activity as opposed to the apparent neglect in areas they had just passed through. Chuck and Wedge eyed the signs warily while they moved.

The current of sewer water met them as they exited the tunnels through a large opening, though they were now walking above it, their footsteps ringing from the metal mesh they traveled over. The sewers were vast and unpredictable, and yet she knew so little about them. She would need to ask Chuck and Wedge to recount their adventures one day, if for the sole hope it could serve as a base of operations considering the only two people who knew of its layout were under her guidance.

Peach held back a yawn, feeling more tired than ever before. The journey through the sewers had been taxing beyond belief, but the prospect of being rid of its pungent odors and vast network of passages kept her awake. She didn't know for how much longer her body could keep going despite knowing that being forced to make a hasty escape would likely lead to her downfall.

She only needed to trust Chuck and Wedge and hope they were the only ones who knew of where they were going.

"We're almost there." Chuck declared. "Anyway, what was it you asked me back there, Princess?"

"I wanted to know how long Mario and I have spent captured."

"A fortnight, give or take." The koopa replied in a weary voice.

There was a lot the Council could do in fourteen days, but Peach knew asking the koopa brothers was pointless considering they weren't even aware of circumstances within the kingdom.

"So, here's the deal," Wedge explained, "you two are gonna take a pipe that leads directly to the sewer's exit. You'll arrive due south of the Entrich Plains."

"The Entrich Plains?" Peach repeated. "That seems somewhat dangerously close to Toad Town."

"Yeah, but everyone'll be cooped up within the town still." Wedge assured. "No one but us travels by the sewer entrances anyway."

Peach understood he had a point.

"And s'ides," he added, "no one knows you guys have escaped yet. It's still the middle of the night, and Nook usually made his rounds well past dawn, so you three'll have plenty of time to get somewhere safe."

"Nook isn't coming with you?" Peach asked.

"'Course not! You need 'im to show you the way to his village, don't'cha?"

"We'll lay low for some time too." Chuck said. "We certainly don't want to be around when the Council catches wind of your disappearance. We'll need to lock these sewers up nice and tight as a precaution to keep any unwanted visitors away."

Peach nodded. The last thing they wanted was for someone affiliated with the Council to discover just how the group had escaped. For what it was worth, Chuck and Wedge had thought the situation through very thoroughly.

Just where had Bowser come upon those two? They were too resourceful by far to be regular members of the koopa troop.

Perhaps Bowser understood that point better than most, and had attempted to kill them as a safety measure, which failed and led to the three brothers escaping his army.

The Koopa King ruled the masses under the guise of a bloodthirsty tyrant. He kept most of his citizens uneducated for a reason. Those with an understanding of the world could create their own futures, and did not easily submit to following a regime they disagreed with, one where they had no say in its guidance.

Bowser was, Peach realized, her complete opposite in all things governmental.

After a few more tense minutes of walking, they arrived into a large rectangular room with the mouth of a Warp Pipe sprouting from the blocky wall.

They had made it.

"This is it, then." Chuck stated as he moved forward to place a hand on the pipe. "Just go through here and you'll make it to the plains." He then moved back to his brother to let them through.

Peach and Mario both walked to the pipe's opening to examine it.

"Thank you both for everything." Peach said as she turned around to face the brothers.

Neither Chuck nor Wedge appeared to be listening, nor were they even looking at her. Both were standing eye-level to Nook, their voices filled with what sounded to her like sadness.

"You be good, sport." Wedge said, his voice cracking. "Remember what we told ya and make sure to keep Mario and the Princess safe, hear?"

"Sure." The small tanoomba replied, not quite sure how to react to the display.

"Stay safe, Nook." Chuck continued, ruffling the boy's fur. "And good luck."

"We'll…miss you." They both replied in unison.

Nook suddenly understood just what it was the brothers were trying to tell him. He appeared to shrink back at the realization and embraced the brothers in farewell.

As the child walked over to Peach and Mario, she felt a pang of sadness for the brothers. They watched Nook waddle with miserable expressions on their faces. They had come searching for their brother, and had instead found someone completely different and unexpected, yet they had bonded with the tanoomba nonetheless. It was possible Chuck and Wedge would never see Nook again, only the young tanoomba hadn't come to that realization yet.

Perhaps he had meant more to the brothers than they had to him, but Peach could see Nook's sorrow plainly in his eyes. He would miss them as well.

Nook made as if to speak, but closed his mouth as soon as he opened it. Peach took the action as a sign of readiness.

"Thank you again, Chuck, Wedge." Peach repeated now that the brothers' attention was on her.

"It was nothing." Chuck replied. His brother looked to be keeping his mouth closed, as though not wanting to test his voice. Peach could feel a similar apprehension from Chuck, but he sighed softly in relief to note his voice hadn't broken from emotion.

"We'll meet again." Peach declared, fully intending to keep her promise.

The brothers simply nodded as she and Mario waved their goodbyes. Once they were finished, Peach turned to face Mario.

"Are you certain you want to go through with this?" Peach asked him one last time. "What I must bear is my burden alone. I would not think less of you if you ceased following me and lived your life in peace."

Mario shook his head, yet despite being a simple reply, its meaning spoke volumes.

_I depend on him still_, Peach reflected in a rueful mood. _Will I ever learn to live my life without him at my side, or are our fates forever to be entwined? Stars, how will I ever learn to fend for myself if I cannot deal with the thought of being separated from him?_

There was nothing left to do but enter the pipe, and so Mario made his way through the dark mouth that marked its entrance. Nook followed suit, leaving Peach the last to enter. She gave the hammer brothers one last glance before stepping through the pipe's snout and disappearing in a spinning tumble.

Peach felt a warm breeze run through her hair and realized they were no longer in the sewers. Chuck and Wedge were nowhere to be seen. Their departures had been sporadic and rushed. There were no insightful speeches given, no warm promises of a better future or declarations of faith, just a quick farewell, and then they were gone.

The horizon shone with a streak of light. The stars were barely visible through the coming glow heralding dawn's arrival. The three of them simply stood there, watching the rising sun awaken from its nightly slumber.

It was a while before Peach realized she had never expected to see its bright rays again.

She felt horribly tired, but knew sleeping now would be a poor idea. They needed to find the entrance to Twine Forest and meet Nook's people. They had no time to lose.

As the world suddenly began to brighten around them, Peach noticed a streak of starlight fly through the sky like a silver brush on morning's canvas. The sight was beautiful, but no doubt a simple blade of grass would seem like the most expressive form of magnificence to her eyes after having lived through weeks of bleak surroundings and horrid encounters.

Wedge claimed the plains were to the north, which meant they would need to cross them in order to reach the border of Twine Forest, which was to the east. They couldn't afford to travel through the plains in their condition; they were weak, hungry, and could barely stand. Traveling by night would likely lead to more success than by day, but Peach couldn't just allow daylight to pass by without taking advantage of it either.

They were in a relaxed mood from having managed to finally escape those dreaded sewers despite their apparent weariness, and that could be used to their advantage.

As she was getting ready to voice her plans, Peach felt a strange vibrating sensation running down her body. She could see Mario and Nook feel it too as a result of their widened eyes. She struggled as the feeling engulfed her; it was making it difficult for her to breathe.

Then, it subsided, leaving her wondering at its source.

The wind suddenly picked up and buffeted the group as it passed. Mere minutes after they had escaped, something inexplicable had already happened.

The sun was now completely visible, leaving the sky in a variety of blue hues.

Mario pulled on her shoulder and began explaining something about the source of the noise.

"That sounded like a falling star." Nook said in a mesmerized voice.

Mario nodded his approval, mentioning the bright object they had just seen in the sky mere moments ago.

"You believe that resonating sensation was caused by its landing?" Peach asked.

"Could be." Nook stated plainly.

"This is too surreal." Peach pointed out. "What do you suppose it means?"

"I don't know." The young tanoomba replied. "It didn't look like any shooting star I saw before."

"I suppose not." Peach agreed. "Should we find out?"

Nook's ears twitched. "It didn't fall far from here."

The extra expedition would lead to wasting time, but if Nook's suspicions were correct, they would be able to reach the star soon. "Can you take us there?" Peach asked him.

"I…I think so." He replied reluctantly.

Having come to a decision, Peach followed Nook's advice, leading them ever in the direction of the fallen star's location.


End file.
